Struggle of Chaos
by Silvery Moonfruit
Summary: Sequel to Dark Crisis. Six years later, Yugi is needed once more to save the world from the destruction of a new evil. This time the darkness is slowly taking control and may actually succeed in destroying Yugi.
1. The Arrival of the Beasts!

Author's Notes: Welcome to my sequel _Struggle of Chaos_. In order to understand the whole story, you must have read _Pharaoh's Servant_ and _Dark Crisis_. This chapter has a small recap explaining the main event which went down.

**Edit on 9/14/07:** Another thing I want to point out is I have decided to change Yami's name to Atem since now it should no longer be a spoiler considering the dub series is finished.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, but the original characters are owned by me. Here's Chapter 1.

* * *

Chapter 1: The Arrival of the Beasts!

Six long years have passed since the Galactic Dragon was destroyed and the universe was free from its terror. The Guardians, a race of higher beings, were grateful to Yugi and his friends for having saved Animus and returning it to its former beauty. While Yugi was there, he found out he was really the reincarnation of Ra the Golden Phoenix Dragon and it was his responsibility to protect the universe from the Galactic Dragon. Kaiba and Joey also discovered they were actually reincarnations of Ammon the Bronze Phoenix Dragon, in which its soul was split in two.

Lately, Yugi was losing contact with the Guardians in recent years, but Kiki, Pluto's younger sister, explained to him the details. She told him that major problems caused the Guardians to barely have the time to speak to Yugi and his friends, although Yugi thought she was neglecting some important information.

The only person he missed was Artemis. He had last seen her in Animus after they defeated the Galactic Dragon. Yugi could not fully understand why she left despite Atem saying she would be back when needed. After all, it was revealed she was the reincarnation of Mesenet the Silver Phoenix Dragon.

Yugi kept in contact with Téa who was in Adelaide, Australia with Nick. He once believed Téa was in love with Atem, but the ancient Pharaoh knew she desired Nick. Even though Yugi once had a crush on Téa, his heart belonged to Artemis. Now he was having second thoughts on their relationship.

As Yugi continued his way back to the Kame Game Shop, his mind drifted over the previous years of his life; remembering how the Millennium Puzzle became the epicenter of all the trouble he and his friends were involved. Even though he won the Ceremonial Duel against Atem, he remained stuck on Earth until the Guardians showed up. One particularly evil Guardian named Pluto had wanted the puzzle only to have his plans foiled and then Seiryu, the supposed rival to Pluto, had stolen the puzzle in order to resurrect the Galactic Dragon.

Needless to say, Yugi had managed to prevail in the end with the aid of his friends and the few good Guardians, like Artemis and Yukai. Things started to calm down after the event, leaving Yugi to pursue his normal life.

Yugi walked passed by various buildings; rain was pouring, and Yugi carried an umbrella in his right hand while he held his textbooks in the other. He was attending a local college, as did Joey who surprisingly passed high school. Tristan, on the other hand, had a working job which took most of his social life away so he did not spend much time with his friends. Ryou and Bakura went to Egypt and met up with Ishizu, Marik and Odion to uncover any new mysteries that were long forgotten.

As for Kaiba, he still was CEO of KaibaCorp, and his brother, Mokuba, was co-president. Unlike teens of Mokuba's age, he earned enough money that could make him retire in his thirties. KaibaCorp was back in business and the company was very successful selling its latest high-tech machinery. Of course, Kaiba had competition with two American companies, Industrial Illusions and Mendez Enterprises, a company owned by one of the Guardians which continues to escalate its sales with its new products.

Yugi finally arrived home, unlocking the door to the Game Shop and finding his grandfather and Atem placing their newest stock on shelves and in the display case. Atem had been helping Solomon while Yugi was gone studying.

The former Pharaoh smiled as he saw Yugi enter the shop. He noticed the young man lay his umbrella aside the counter and walked over to them. "So, how was class?" Atem asked.

"Just the same, studying, difficult tests, too much work." Yugi responded wearily. "To be honest, I'd much rather be fighting the Galactic Dragon all over again than take on university studies."

Atem chuckled. "I know it's hard work but you're intelligent. Don't worry."

Yugi smirked. "I may as well go study for tomorrow's exam." He headed upstairs, leaving Atem and Solomon to resume their work.

Yugi arrived to his room and closed the door quietly. He placed his books on his desk and decided to turn on his laptop, which was a gift from Atem and Joey for his twenty-third birthday. In the morning, Yugi responded to Kiki's email and he sent one back to her earlier. Kiki probably did not get the chance to answer since she lived in New York, meaning if it's daytime in Japan, then New York had to be sleeping. Instead, Yugi turned off his laptop and went to open his textbooks and study. For almost an hour, he studied, and he was slowly drifting to sleep.

_In his dream, Yugi stood upon a cliff overlooking Animus. He saw before him three beastly creatures that were destroying a city. They seemed familiar to him for some reason… Like he had seen them somewhere in the past. It did not take long for Yugi to realize that these monsters were on the paintings that hung in Artemis' temple._

_The red dragon-like creature spewed flames from its jaw, incinerating anything in its path. The cat-like monster sent out a blast of light as the black beast copied the same attack as the dragon, obliterating everything it was in contact with its flames. Then a shadowed being appeared behind them as it absorbed dark energy flowing from the three monsters. _

_Yugi got a better look at the creature and noticed it resembled a dragon, but it was not the Galactic Dragon. It extended its long wings and opened its fierce blue eyes that stared straight at Yugi. The dragon bared its sharp claws as it rose in the air, taking flight and carrying out its own attack aimed for Yugi._

_He tried to shield his eyes from the blast, but he was then transported somewhere else, away from the destruction. This time Yugi saw the three Guardians that had dragged him into their world. Yugi felt like he was in no dream. He saw Yukai standing beside the sun as the red dragon appeared behind him, next was Artemis with the moon illuminating its glow on the form of the cat-like creature, and followed by Pluto, the stars gave off its light as the chimera roared loudly, revealing its deadly fangs. _

Finally the images disappeared and Yugi snapped opened his eyes with terror in them. He was sure those had to be visions, and this one practically felt real to him. He noticed he was in a cold sweat, lifting his head from his textbook and turning his head to the clock on his desk to read it was past midnight. He did not know how long he had been asleep, or if Atem and Solomon were already in bed.

A flash of light beamed in his eyes. He rushed to his window and his eyes nearly doubled in size. The same three beasts he saw in his vision were loose and wrecking havoc in Domino City. Yugi had to wake up Atem and his friends, and figure out what was going on. He quickly grabbed his deck and duel disk, and headed out his bedroom, bursting into Atem's room.

The Pharaoh was awake and he could not believe what he was seeing. "Yugi, what is going on?" he asked fearfully.

"I don't know, but we have to investigate!" Yugi decided. He ran to his living room and picked up the phone to call Joey. He waited for his friend to answer, and he finally did. "Joey, have you checked outside?"

Joey was rubbing the sleep from his eyes and he faced the window from his apartment. "I don't see anything, Yug…" Joey mumbled. After he was fully wide awake, he nearly stumbled back on a nearby chair and grasped the phone even tighter. "What are those?"

"Bring Ammon, Joey!" Yugi suggested, taking out his card which contained Ra the Golden Phoenix Dragon. "We may need them." He hung up, leaving a baffled Joey on the other line.

Joey placed his phone back on its receiver, and rummaged through his deck to locate Ammon. He found the card and ran out of his apartment to meet Yugi at the Game Shop. Yugi and Atem left immediately and caught up with Joey outside. The three wanted to find the source of the strange light and of the creatures. Terrified people looked on in horror as the monsters rampaged through the city, annihilating anything in their path.

Yugi stood defiantly and raised his card high in the air. "I summon Ra the Golden Phoenix Dragon!" he called out, but nothing happened.

"Uh, Yugi…. Where is it…?" Joey questioned, looking around to see whether the dragon emerged.

Yugi looked at his card and gasped. A magical seal surrounded Ra, as if binding its power from being unleashed. The seal contained a moon with foreign symbols around it. Yugi's eyes quivered as he stared at the three creatures, and the light was coming from them.

"Joey, summon Ammon!" Atem yelled out.

"But I'm not sure if it'll work without Kaiba…" Joey said.

"Wheeler, you don't need to fetch me." Kaiba replied as he walked towards them, his white trench coat flailing as he moved.

"I hope this will work." Joey remarked as he held out Ammon. The card shined and appearing in the sky was a bronze creature with wings and a head resembling a phoenix, and body and tail similar to a dragon. Ammon roared as the three monsters instantly stopped their rampage.

Kaiba took out his duel disk and placed his three Blue-Eyes White Dragons on it. The trio of dragons materialized and joined Ammon as they took flight. Joey had his duel disk on his arm and summoned his loyal Red-Eyes Black Dragon to complete Ammon's special ability. With four dragons out, Ammon's second ability came into effect as it was able to power-up itself when there are dragons nearby.

"Ammon, destroy those monsters!" Joey ordered, and he earned an angered look from Kaiba. Their Ka obeyed as it shot out streams of light that blinded everything around it.

The three beasts did not flinch from their position and received the full damage by the attack. A huge explosion took place and the creatures were gone. Yugi knew that the job was done too easy and he sensed something was not right. He felt two presences nearby and scanned the shadows everywhere, searching for the cause.

"Partner, what is wrong?" Atem queried, raising an eyebrow.

Yugi snapped out his trance and looked back at Atem. "Someone is responsible for this, and they'll be back." He warned. Joey and Kaiba gave him confused looks.

"If there is trouble brewing, then where are the Guardians?" Kaiba asked. He was under the impression they had to be responsible.

"Yeah, they should be here to tell us what is goin' on." Joey agreed.

Yugi's face darkened. "I've been trying to communicate with them for awhile," Yugi said. "Kiki has contacted me and she told me they're having their own problems, which may be the same with us."

"How have you spoken to her at all today?" Atem inquired. He did know that Yugi exchanged information with Kiki online.

"I sent her an email." Yugi said, and immediately ran back home to check his laptop. Kaiba, Joey and Atem followed him as two beings watched them.

"Is it necessary to look after them?" A masculine voice complained. He was speaking to a being not resembling a Guardian's human-like form as he himself didn't appear the same way.

"Quit whining!" A feminine voice scolded, twitching her forked tail. A red gem glittered on her forehead as her purple body shined in the starlight.

"Even if we are Lesser Guardians," the first voice stated, "doesn't mean we have to be pushed around by some girl." Yellow rings surrounded his body, each glowing and illuminating his dark body. His red eyes gleamed directly at violet ones.

The owner of the violet eyes pricked up her long ears. "Be careful what you say, Heka, you do not want to get hurt by her, now do we?"

Heka lied down on the rooftop which they stood upon. "Tyche, maybe we should not allow these mortals to meddle in our affairs, they do not know what they are facing." He protested.

Tyche released white bird-like wings from her back. "We have to follow them no matter what. She knows that the reincarnates are the only ones that can help."

Heka sighed. "Fine…" He stretched out black butterfly-like wings, and the two took flight into the night sky.

Meanwhile at the Game Shop, Solomon was awake and he wondered what the raucous was about outside. He saw his grandson and his three friends rush indoors and up to Yugi's room. The old man did not bother to ask them what they were all doing wide awake. They slammed the door to Yugi's room, and Yugi turned on his laptop to see if he received an email from Kiki.

"She responded!" Yugi said, beginning to open it. The email read:

_Yugi, you must come right away to New York! The Guardians may need your help, and also, there has been recent attacks here and in Animus by creatures known as the Beasts of Chaos. There is no time to waste! You, Joey and Kaiba must return, or the fate of all mankind and of the Guardians will be vanquished!_

_There is no time to explain all the details, but you should know what you must do now. I shall be awaiting you at the JFK Airport as soon as possible. Please, this is very urgent!_

"Well, you don't see that everyday." Joey commented after they read the email.

"Then there is something going on." Yugi mused.

"It may explain why Ra was not summoned when you called it." Atem replied.

"So, do we go?" Joey asked.

Yugi turned to face Kaiba. "Will you be offering us the transportation, or do we have to pay for plane tickets?"

Kaiba remained silent. Moments later he responded, "Those Guardians will be pestering me to go anyway."

"Then we leave first thing in the morning!" Joey said happily.

"Ah, Joey, it is morning." Atem replied.

"And I didn't even get any sleep!" Joey whined, yawning as his eyes began drooping.

As the sun arose on the horizon, three beings were perched on a rooftop beside the Game Shop, staring at the window leading into Yugi's room. Each of them held three cards which contained the creatures that created chaos during the night. They smirked as they heard Yugi and his friends agreeing to go to America to visit the Guardians.

"Everything is falling into place." A female voice observed.

"The mortals don't even know what lies before them in their little trip." A male voice snickered. He glanced at the third being who held a gold object in his hand.

"They'll never escape what fate has in store for them." The third person said. They vanished into the darkness as an unsuspecting Yugi was walking into their trap.

* * *

Author's Notes: Well, there we go… Like I did in _Dark Crisis_, here's next chapter's summary:

Yugi, Joey, Kaiba and Atem head to America to meet up with the Guardians, but their trip turns into a deadly one as the Beasts of Chaos appear again. Yugi is unable to summon Ra because of the moon seal enclosing the card. It's a battle in the sky as they try to reach their destination safely, and who could be after them? Who are those two other beings whom seem to be on their side? Find out next time on _Struggle of Chaos_ - Chapter 2: The Sky Battle! Ammon vs. the Beasts of Chaos!


	2. The Sky Battle! Ammon vs the Beasts of C...

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, but I do own my OCs.

* * *

Chapter 2: The Sky Battle! Ammon vs. the Beasts of Chaos!

Joey and Kaiba went back home to pack their things before they set out on their trip. Yugi and Atem spent their time looking through their wardrobe for proper clothes to wear for the New York winter. Kiki told Yugi that it was getting cold and advised them to dress warmly.

Yugi knew he had to prepare everything before the afternoon because Kaiba was very strict about their flight time. The trip would probably take long since they had to travel across the United States.

Meanwhile in Joey's apartment, he tried to figure out what he should bring with him and he also had to tell Tristan about the trip. The doorbell rang as Joey finished packing and headed towards the door. He opened it to find a beautiful woman with violet eyes and long blonde hair dressed in a leather purple jacket, a skirt and a white corset. Joey admired her looks and almost seemed lost in his own world.

"Joey, will you quit drooling over me?" Mai said angrily. She nearly blushed when the blond stared at her with his brown eyes.

"What are you doin' here?" Joey questioned, allowing Mai to enter. They both sat on his couch, and Mai noticed Joey's luggage.

"I wanted to hear from you if you, Yugi, Atem and Kaiba were going to New York to meet these -" Mai paused, trying to remember her choice words.

"The Guardians." Joey completed.

"I take it those are the mystical beings from another world you talked about six years earlier." Mai mused.

"That's right." Joey looked at Mai carefully. Her face shown an expression of loneliness. "You wanna come?"

Mai became shocked. "Why do I need to come? I'm no valued member of your friends and I might just become a nuisance to you all."

"Why would you say that?" Joey asked with concern. He edged closer to her.

"Because of what I did back in Battle City and then again when Dartz and his cronies showed up," Mai explained. "I've been nothing but trouble."

Joey shook his head in disagreement. "Listen, you're not troubling anyone," he began. "This would be a great time for you to get reacquainted with everyone. I'm sure they'll be glad to have you around for support. We should stick together."

"Yes, stick together. Like old times." Mai said. She embraced Joey lovingly.

* * *

At the Kaiba Mansion, Mokuba heard about the news and wanted to persuade his older brother if he could come too. He tried locating him everywhere in the mansion until he found Kaiba in his bedroom.

The raven-haired teen gulped as he approached Kaiba. His brother was done packing and he saw Mokuba enter the room. "Seto." Mokuba said.

"Mokuba, I have little time to chat with you and -" Kaiba stared at his younger brother. It didn't take him long to figure out Mokuba's intentions. "You can come, but get your things packed, now."

"You know, I could have asked you!" Mokuba scolded.

Kaiba snorted. "I bet you miss your girlfriend." He grinned at Mokuba, and the teen blushed. He exited the room, leaving the CEO alone.

* * *

Everyone arrived at the Domino Airport on time to board Kaiba's personal jet. Kaiba was surprised to see that Joey brought an extra passenger, but he had to comply since he was bringing Mokuba, too. The jet was huge and well-furnished, and everyone quickly accommodated to it.

As they had everything ready, Kaiba ordered his pilot to go and they were soon off the ground, and in the air. Atem enjoyed the bird's eye view of Japan, and the plane soon crossed the Pacific Ocean. Joey was busy talking to Mai and began retelling her of the adventure he and his friends had six years ago, with maybe a few exaggerations. Kaiba was diligently reading a book, seating himself on a chair and ignoring everyone. Mokuba played Capsule Monster Chess with Yugi and was being bested by him.

"I destroyed your last monster." Yugi said, indicating he won the game.

"You beat me five times in a row!" Mokuba replied shockingly. He collected the game pieces and took the board back into a box. He stared out into the oval-shaped window, admiring the clouds they were passing by.

"Yugi, did you tell Kiki we were coming?" Atem asked as he sat next to Yugi. He smoothed out the wrinkles he had on his leather black shirt.

"I did." Yugi answered. "I wonder why she asked us to come."

Kaiba put his book down and stood up. He joined Mokuba, Yugi and Atem in their conversation. Joey and Mai walked over to them and seated across from Yugi and Atem.

"Whatever these Beasts of Chaos are, they must be monsters that the Guardians cannot stop." Atem mused.

"But if they are supposedly powerful, why do they need you?" Mai questioned.

"I don't know." Yugi said. He looked at his watch and noticed that it was already evening in Japan. He stared at the window to see land below them. "I guess we're crossing California."

"Which reminds me, what happened to Rebecca?" Joey asked.

Yugi lowered his eyes. He did not want to tell them that he and Rebecca… That night he did not want to remember because he knew he was cheating on Artemis. He couldn't help himself when Rebecca was around since she was somewhat seducing him to do it. Yugi did not see her after that night and he was sure she would come back.

"Earth to Yugi." Joey said, waving his hand over Yugi's face.

"Oh, she returned home." Yugi replied, awakening from his train of thought.

"That freak just scares me…" Joey whimpered.

"How can you be afraid of her?" Mai queried, raising an eyebrow.

"When she visited us after those Doom bikers took the Egyptian God cards, Rebecca kept callin' Yugi her 'darling'." Joey explained. "What is he, her property?"

"She was devastated when Yugi's soul was taken instead of mine." Atem reminded. He placed his hands over his face, trying to avoid seeing images of his duel against Raphael.

"I hope you don't mind me sayin', can we eat?" Joey complained as his stomach growled. Everyone, except for Kaiba, sweat dropped, and Kaiba ordered his flight attendant to prepare the food.

They all sat down on a table and their dinner arrived with the best food Kaiba could afford. Joey was not lying when he said he was hungry because he instantly dug in and ate like a pig, but in Kaiba's case, ate like a slobbery dog.

Shortly after dinner, Atem suggested they should play Duel Monsters and act as if they were back in Battle City. Mokuba was able to convince his brother to duel, and the last round was Yugi versus Atem. Yugi emerged victorious, like the last time from the Ceremonial Battle. Afterwards they went to sleep while the jet would arrive at the airport by the New York afternoon.

The jet flew in its normal course, but an updraft took the pilot by surprise. His co-pilot checked all the gauges and realized everything was fine. Suddenly a powerful maelstrom blew and slightly tipped the plane about; awakening the passengers on board.

Joey woke up from the sound of scraping outside. He looked out the window and his eyes widened when he saw the jet's right wing was beginning to fall. "Ah, guys…" he muttered, attempting to wake his friends.

"What is it?" a sleepy Yugi asked. He gradually got up from his seat, which became his bed, and stared out the window. "Everyone, get up!"

Atem, Mai, Kaiba and Mokuba woke up and they were shocked when they noticed the wing was slowly breaking apart. Then they heard a vociferous roar in the air and two shadows appeared in the darkness. Yugi knew what they were, these beasts were the same ones he saw back at Domino, but this time they were only two. The dragon and chimera approached the jet with blinding speed and they were preparing to strike.

"They're back!" Atem yelled.

"What are those?" Mai questioned fearfully. She grabbed Joey by the shoulders for protection.

"The Beasts of Chaos." Yugi gasped. He took out Ra once more, but the moon seal was still on it. "Damn, it's still there!"

Mai noticed the card and she saw Joey take out Ammon. "Joey, is there something you forgot to tell me?"

"Not now!" Joey shouted. "Kaiba!" Both of them summoned Ammon as the huge bronze dragon took flight beside the jet.

Mai gazed astoundingly at the Ka; his bronze wings shook as he flew towards the monsters. He roared loudly, but the beasts did not cringe. Yugi contemplated about the reason Ra was unable to be summoned and the only cause he could come up with was the seal surrounding the card.

Outside, two mysterious creatures were soaring in the air. They were stunned to see the Beasts of Chaos and Ammon were ready to fight. Heka looked on in amazement as Tyche stood transfixed in the sky, her wings stretched out to stay in flight.

"One of the Beasts of Chaos are not here." Tyche said worriedly.

"The Bronze Phoenix Dragon can take care of them." Heka replied overconfidently.

Tyche rolled her eyes. "Heka, although Ammon was able to handle them before, there is a limit to his power!"

"Then what shall we do?" he yelled.

"We must assist them any way we can!" Tyche said.

"If you say so…"

Resuming back to the battle, Ammon tried his best to attack the beasts, but his attempts seemed futile. The dragon dodged each blow and the chimera did the same. Together, they spewed hot flames directly at Ammon. The Phoenix Dragon took the hit and remained in the air, barely able to keep up.

"I don't think it will last any longer!" Mokuba shouted.

"Joey, try summoning Red-Eyes to help out!" Yugi said to him.

"Seto, maybe Blue-Eyes can aid them, too." Mokuba replied.

Kaiba released his monsters whilst Joey did the same. The four dragons appeared, but in a semi-visible form. The two duelists were alarmed when their summoning failed. The dragons vanished as Ammon was left alone to defend itself.

"What happened?" Mai asked.

"The dragons should have stayed, unless someone is behind this!" Atem deducted.

"Looks like you mortals need some assistance." A feminine voice said. Emerging from the shadows were Tyche and Heka.

Yugi gazed at the two and realized they had to be Guardians. He was baffled by the way they looked. "Who sent you?" he inquired.

"A Guardian sent us to help." Heka answered harshly. "Now, do you want us to aid you or let those monsters kill you all?"

"But how can we trust you?" Kaiba protested.

Tyche and Heka nodded to each other. "Because we can tell you everything we know that has happened to the Guardians in the past six years, and one of the Guardians wanted you to come." Tyche responded.

"So that's why Kiki asked me." Yugi said.

"Oh no, Ammon has taken too much damage!" Mokuba yelled. Everyone saw the Phoenix Dragon slowly descending from the sky in remarkable speed.

"Fine, you can -" Before Yugi could finish, Tyche and Heka were gone.

The two creatures quickly caught up with Ammon and they glowed in a mysterious light. The bruises the Phoenix Dragon suffered were healed and his eyes snapped opened. He roared and then flew towards the beasts who were prepared to attack the jet. Ammon mustered up all his strength and aimed at the monsters. They received the hit and vanished like they did the last time. Ammon retreated back to his card as Tyche and Heka returned to the jet.

The two Lesser Guardians bowed to Yugi and his friends in respect. "Although they are gone this time, they will be back." Tyche warned.

"Tell us, who sent you?" Yugi questioned.

Kaiba heard a voice from the microphone in his trench coat and he turned his back away from the others. He whispered to the person on the other end quietly before explaining to them the details. "We'll be at the airport in a couple of minutes." Kaiba informed.

"Don't tell me it's the afternoon in New York!" Joey droned. They barely had any sleep courtesy of the ambush.

"You may get some sleep later, we're starting to land anyway." Mokuba said.

The jet gently flew down to the ground, and made its way to the tunnel that would them to the terminal. They all got off the jet as their luggage was being loaded and taken to them. They looked around the JFK Airport and realized how confusing it seemed. Yugi had no clue where they were supposed to meet Kiki and then they saw a sign that directed them to the waiting area of the arrival flights.

"Yugi!" a young teen girl came running towards them and she immediately embraced Mokuba affectionately. Someone else was following her and he had gray eyes and black hair. "It's good to see you all!"

"Do we know you?" Mokuba asked. The teen nodded her head, her blue eyes gleamed happily. "Wait, you couldn't be?"

"That's right, Mokie." The teen winked at him.

"KIKI!" Everyone, except Kaiba, yelled in surprise.

"So, you're the little sister of this Pluto Joey was talking about." Mai said. She vaguely remembered hearing about her in one of Joey's stories.

"Who are you?" Kiki asked, unfamiliar of Mai as the boy approached her. "Oh, Koji."

The teen named Koji stared at Mokuba. "I believe this is the Mokuba Kaiba you spoke to me about."

"We haven't seen you before." Yugi said.

"I'm Uranus' younger brother." Koji responded. He noticed Joey struggling with his baggage and decided to help.

"Where are the others?" Atem asked, looking to see if anyone else came to greet them. He received a sorrowful look from Kiki. He suddenly realized that Tyche and Heka disappeared and he wondered where they went. Atem blinked when he saw Kiki holding two plushies resembling smaller versions of them.

"Maybe she can explain when we get to her home." Yugi said, pushing a baffled Atem away from her as they began to head outside.

They reached the automatic glass doors and a black van was waiting for them outside. Jupiter was inside and she climbed out to assist them with their luggage. She carried a depressed look on her face, so no one did not want to say anything in front of her.

Yugi felt something not right as he turned around to face the entryway to the terminal. He puzzled over the feeling and then went inside the van. As the vehicle pulled away from the sidewalk to allow other cars to park, someone with blue eyes was watching Yugi the entire time.

She hid behind the safety of a corner and she headed out the doors. The cold winter wind blew her blonde hair as she grinned maliciously. "Yugi, my darling, you will be mine." The young woman whispered as she took a young girl by the hand and walked away.

* * *

Author's Notes: Now the explanation about what happened to the Guardians will be revealed in the next chapter, and you'll see where Heka and Tyche disappeared to. Anyway, here's the next chapter synopsis:

Yugi and his friends finally return back to America after their almost deadly encounter with the Beasts of Chaos. Yukai's fiancée explains the past six years to the gang, but her news are dreadful. She almost wishes it never happened… She is also willing to explain the origin of the seal surrounding Ra, and what she is about to say will shock Yugi. On the next _Struggle of Chaos_ - Chapter 3: Divided They Fall


	3. Divided They Fall

Chapter 3: Divided They Fall

_A young woman with short red hair ran down from her room as lightning flashed. Her blue eyes searched frantically for her lover, but to no avail. She arrived at the living room and noticed something on the table._

_"Am I dreaming?" the woman questioned to herself. Her hands trembled as she picked the letter up. She didn't know who left it behind and began to read it carefully._

_It read:_

_"Dear to whomever finds this,_

_You have tried long and hard to discover the killer involved in multiple murders and have yet to draw your conclusions. I'll say this, the person responsible of these dreadful crimes was not Yukai but someone deep within._

_Look no further now, the murders have ceased and your last leader has abandoned your kind. Whom you want to blame for his departure should be yourselves, and he'll return, but remember he may not be the same person you once knew."_

_The woman's eyes widened in horror as she finished reading. She felt heartbroken about Yukai and headed straight to his room to see if the letter was true. She barged into Yukai's room and to her surprise, he was not there._

_"No…" she whispered. The woman fell to the floor on her knees, tears flowing down her eyes. "YUKAI!" Her shrill cries echoed throughout her home as the high-pitched sound awoken the residents inside their rooms._

* * *

The drive to the Guardians' home was long and they hit traffic along the way. Jupiter was not in the best mood for this dilemma and she became irritable with the many cars approaching from the city. She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel as Kiki, who sat in the front passenger seat, turned on the radio.

Yugi and his friends were restless from the flight, and Joey took the time to nap. Mai allowed him to rest his head on her lap as she too drifted off in slumber. Kaiba and Atem stared out the window, gazing at the numerous trees that hid houses behind them. Mokuba adverted the hardened look of Koji, wondering why Kiki's friend was watching him that way. Yugi was slowly falling asleep, but the music that was playing made him remain awake.

The tunes flowing from the radio was a dance mix and the rhythm comforted Yugi. Kiki turned her head and smiled whilst she held her two plushies.

"Like the music?" Kiki asked.

"I didn't know you enjoy dance music." Yugi said.

Jupiter sighed. "I downloaded it. I think the singer is European or something." she replied happily. "The song is called _Shadows of the Night_."

"Never heard of it." Yugi responded. He realized Jupiter making a right turn and he did not get the chance to see the highway sign, so he would know what exit she took.

Yugi felt like he were back home as the drive seemed peaceful. They passed by homes and stores, and a few minutes later arrived at their destination.

The Guardian's home appeared the same, with the exception that some of the nearby trees in back were cut down. Everyone got out of the van and Jupiter opened the trunk to get their luggage. They were welcomed with a cold breeze and it made Joey shiver.

"Why did we have to come during winter? It's freezing!" Joey complained.

"Well, it's December, did you expect it to be summer?" Kiki remarked.

"Téa's lucky to be in Australia right now." Joey muttered in a shaky voice.

"Everything in the Southern Hemisphere is opposite from the Northern Hemisphere." Jupiter said. "I believe where Téa is should be summer while we experience winter. This is what we get for living above the Equator." She noticed Joey taking his luggage and dragging them over to the far-right house.

"Did you renovate while we were gone?" Joey asked, approaching the door. He realized the two houses had an extra wing in the back which would explain the cut-down trees. Joey opened the front door, but became startled when a sharp object came in close contact with his face. "I don't deserve to die! I don't wanna go!"

"Joey, you big baby, open your eyes!" Mai scolded. Joey cracked opened one eye and he fell back to the ground, dropping his luggage in the process.

"Saturn, what are you trying to do?" Jupiter yelled angrily at the man with brown hair and eyes. He held an scythe in his hand and drew it back.

"Jupiter, it was an accident." Saturn pleaded. He narrowed his eyes to the rest of the group. "Pardon my behavior, I am Saturn, Guardian of Ice."

"Maybe you should be called Guardian of Almost Trying To Kill Me!" Joey spat irritably. He mumbled a few words under his breath, picking up his things and walked passed the Guardian to get inside.

"I presume that blond idiot is Joey Wheeler." Saturn pondered.

"You can say that." Kiki replied, swiftly moving to the door and assisting Mai with her luggage.

Everyone went inside the home as Mai consented at how the Guardians furnished themselves. She was impressed with the beautiful Victorian living room which led straight to the new wing in the back. Yugi knew someone was watching them, but he had no clue who.

A pair of blue eyes gazed at Yugi as he scanned the living room. The woman stepped out from the shadows, giving everyone a fright when they saw her. She giggled as she approached them.

Yugi thought this woman must have requested for him and his friends to come, so he asked, "Are you the one who wanted us here?"

The woman smoothed her red hair with her right hand. "I am the Guardian you seek," she answered. She sat down on a nearby chair, her eyes glinting in the sunlight. "Some people know me as Misty."

"No way!" Atem gasped. "You're the girl who confronted Pluto, weren't you?" He remembered Misty as the girl who stood her ground against Pluto, and nearly risked her life, but he did not expect to see her in person.

"I'm actually the reincarnation of Sephora, so that is what I am called by the Guardians," the woman continued. "I prefer to be named Sephora and I am Guardian of the North."

"You mean, like the Northern Hemisphere, right?" Yugi questioned. He received a nod as her response.

"You all know Yukai, after all he is my fiancé." Sephora said.

"You're going to marry Yukai?" Yugi yelled nearly at the top of his lungs. "He never mentioned anything of marriage to us, and where is he?"

Sephora shook her head. "He's gone…" she responded sadly. "Three years ago, a series of murders erupted in this town, and all the clues pointed to Yukai. He must have left because of the accusations, and then the murders stopped."

"Where is Pluto?" Kaiba asked. His eyes glowered at Sephora.

"He disappeared just before the murders took place." She answered.

"What about Artemis?" Yugi inquired.

"Yugi, we haven't received any news of her…" Jupiter replied.

Yugi felt distraught once more. _Why hasn't she return? _Yugi thought to himself. It was unlikely for Artemis to remain missing, especially for the past six years. The person Yugi loved was now a blur memory in his mind.

"Then tell me, where are the rest of the Millennium Guardians?" Joey questioned.

Sephora's face fell. "They're gone," she said. "Nidoki and Forseti vanished after Yukai left, Apollo and Orpheus haven't come back either, and now Pluto's servant, Charon, has disappeared without a trace."

"Could these disappearances have a connection?" Atem mused. He noticed some of the other Guardians were not present in the room.

"If you're looking for the Genesis, what's left of them are in Animus, trying to control our empire." Sephira explained. "Ceres, Gaia, Stella, Athena, Vulcan and Zephyrus have gone with them to help."

"Shouldn't there be more of you?" Joey asked.

"Most of them are trying to locate our leaders, and some have their own problems to deal with." Jupiter answered.

Kaiba smirked at Sephora, glaring like he did not believe a single word she said. "How the mighty have fallen." He commented. Sephora tensed, clenching her hands tightly. "You just can't face the facts that your leaders have deserted you and they're never coming back."

Sephora abruptly stood up, nearly ready to attack Kaiba. "Bastard! Yukai would never abandon me because he's not like that, and you're nothing but a fool to say that!" Sephora spat. She glared at Kaiba with furious rage. "Never, ever speak that way about Yukai again!"

"You're pathetic," Kaiba murmured. "Yukai probably thought the Guardians were weak and he took the advantage when you accused him of murder, that's why he left."

"Shut up! If I recall, you were the one in hiding during Duelist Kingdom and you nearly risked your life to force Yugi into losing that duel, unlike Yukai would do." She said defensively. "He fought with honor and he has saved me many times before."

"How sweet. Defending your boyfriend who perhaps has fallen for another." Kaiba continued. In that instant, Sephora slapped him on the face, his eyes widened in shock. A red mark appeared from where he was hit as he touched it and felt stung.

Silence came into the room as Sephora looked down at her hands, her breathing ragged and deep. She could not believe what she had done and she sat back down. Sephora saw the gazes of every person in the room, trying to block a headache from her head.

"Kaiba, are you alright?" Yugi asked, careful to not provoke him to do more damage.

Jupiter decided to go onto another subject. "Ah, why don't I show you to your rooms, I mean we've had a rough day." She pushed Kaiba to the corridor as she urged the rest to follow. She waved her hand hysterically at Kiki and Koji.

"Oh, I have to go home." Kiki replied. She walked to the door, noticing Koji was not with her. She went back to him and grabbed his hand. "Come on." With that, the two teens were gone, but Yugi realized Kiki left her plushies behind.

They left Sephora alone in the room as she silently thought to herself. Her eyes diverted to the window shaft on the ceiling, and she reached for the long ladder attached to it. Sephora brought it down and climbed on the ladder to head to the rooftop. She was greeted by the starry night as a cold breeze brushed against her. The chill in the air made her shiver, but she tried to ignore it.

"Yukai…" she whispered as she sat on the roof all by herself.

* * *

Jupiter led everyone to their rooms, and she was now directing Yugi to his room. She helped him carry his luggage as Yugi noticed how gloomy the corridor felt. The Guardian did not speak a word to him after Kaiba and Sephora's argument.

Yugi had some of the answers he was looking for, but there was still one lack of information he believed Sephora was going to get to until Kaiba intervened. Then he sensed they were being followed. Yugi turned around to find no one.

"Yugi, here's your room." Jupiter said as she opened the door.

Both of them dropped Yugi's things on the floor as Jupiter stood over to the doorway. Before Yugi could say anything, she had already left, closing the door. Yugi sighed as he began to unpack, but decided not to. He sat on his bed, welcomed by a puffy white blanket to lay with.

Yugi removed his belt and took out his deck from it. He checked every card thoroughly and found the three Egyptian God cards. Then he found Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, followed by Maiden of the Moonlight. He finally discovered his desired card and placed it with the ones he had laid out. Although the room was dark, he saw Ra glimmer in the little light of the outside world entering his room. The moon seal was still on the card, and he became frustrated by it.

"Do you want to know the origin of that seal?" Tyche's voice said beside him.

Yugi scanned the room as he felt something climb on the bed. He rushed to turn on the light and found nothing. He sighed in relief until his eyes caught Kiki's plushies on his bed, staring at him. Yugi immediately panicked and ran to the door.

"Calm down!" the purple plushie begged. She flapped her small wings as she headed to Yugi. "I am Tyche."

Yugi gaped at them like he had gone insane. "I'm going to need to visit a therapist." He replied. It took him a moment to realize who they really were. "Wait, you two are the same creatures from the battle, but you're now tiny, and cute."

Heka rolled his eyes in disgust. The ruby orbs glared at Yugi and he decided to fly over to him. "Mortal, do not define me as 'cute'." Heka said. "These are merely our borrowed forms, alike to the Guardians in their human forms."

"Who are you?" Yugi queried.

"I am Tyche, Guardian Beast of Fortune." Tyche introduced. "You could say I'm almost like Lady Luck except there's been times I've given out misfortunes to those deserving it."

"I'm Heka, Guardian Beast of Ka." Heka replied. He noticed Yugi looking at him puzzled. "My abilities allow me to influence the magical forces around us, including the Ka which you and your comrades summon."

"You said you could tell me the origin of this seal." Yugi said, looking towards Tyche. He held out Ra as the moon seal glowed.

Tyche backed away, her violet eyes quivered. "The Moon Seal of Sekhmet," She hissed the words as if they were venomous. Yugi insisted on her to proceed. "The Beasts of Chaos were the servants of the Galactic Dragon and they once rampaged all five worlds. The Phoenix Dragons were unable to stop them, so they sent their servants to destroy the monsters."

"After the Phoenix Dragons perished, their servants had new masters which were the former Genesis at the time." Heka continued. "These servants were the only ones to ever defeat the Beasts of Chaos."

"You mean the ones I saw in Domino and on the plane flight coming here?" Yugi questioned.

Tyche nodded. "The time has come for the Neo Guardians to arise once more to serve their masters again and stop the traitor of the Dragon Dynasty."

"Ra, the Moon Seal of Sekhmet is the magic of the Galactic Dragon and it vowed to curse the beings whom were involved in the war," Heka explained. "The Galactic Dragon cursed the children of Horus, Apophis and Skyros."

Suddenly Tyche and Heka began fading into the shadows. Yugi did not know the traitor Tyche talked about and he had no idea who were the Neo Guardians. He tried to prevent them from leaving, but they vanished. His thoughts wandered to the Millennium Guardians.

"No, they couldn't be!" Yugi gasped. He faced the windows, the stars illuminating his form. Frightened violet eyes stared in shock towards the night, pushing all thoughts from his mind, but he couldn't suppress his anger. "ARTEMIS!"

Sephora heard Yugi's yells of anguish and could not help but remember how she mourned for Yukai. She still sat on the rooftop, gazing at the sky. "I guess we both lost the ones we love…" she sobbed. Her eyes narrowed to the shadows, seeing if someone was watching. No one was there. Sephora continued staring towards the sky as a shadowed figure stood in the treetops, examining her.

"Sephora, you haven't lost me…" Then the being drifted back to the shadows of the night.

* * *

Author's Notes: Some questions looming about should be answered, and some more trouble should come upon Yugi and his friends. Also there are two more seals, but I'll get to that later.

The mystery concerning the Neo Guardians plights Yugi, and why haven't the Guardians heard of them? The truth surrounding the Moon Seal of Sekhmet becomes a dilemma once a star seal prevents Ammon from being summoned. What can Yugi do without the aid of the Phoenix Dragons? On the next _Struggle of Chaos_ - Chapter 4: Awaken From Thy Slumber, Neo Guardians! Yugi's Servant Arises!

Please review.


	4. Awaken From Thine Slumber, Neo Guardian!

Chapter 4: Awaken From Thine Slumber, Neo Guardian! Yugi's Servant Arises!

The whole night felt as though it dragged on forever while Yugi and his friends slept. The winds picked up at a fast pace, rousing Yugi who barely could sleep. The chilly breeze made him shiver and he realized his window was open. He knew it was left closed, even before he arrived. Yugi felt his hands were cold, but his entire body was suddenly becoming numb.

Yugi decided to get up and shut the window. Before he did, he took a peek out as the cold wind blew in his face. He noticed nothing was outside and he concluded that the wind might have opened the window. Yugi made sure no one was inside his room, violet eyes searched every dark corner and he found nothing.

"I guess it's just my imagination." Yugi said, closing the window. He drifted back to bed and covered himself with the blanket. Yugi shifted around his bed as a shadowed being watched him.

"Fool." The being muttered, walking over to his bed and then kneeling beside him. She stroked his golden bangs as Yugi stirred from her touch. Her eyes fell upon his unusually-colored spiky hair. "Your demise will soon be met and I will make sure I have done that job."

The woman caught something gold glittering in her eyes. Another being appeared as a circular object with golden spikes hovered in the air, pointing towards Yugi. "He still has Ra, but he can't summon it." The man said.

"Of course not, the Moon Seal of Sekhmet binds its powers unless he finds a way to break it," the woman explained. A devious smile crossed her face. "I hope you have done your job correctly."

"I did. Now let's get out of here or the mortal will wake up." The two beings disappeared into the shadows without Yugi noticing what had just taken place.

In the morning, Yugi was greeted by the sunlight and the clock he was staring at read 9:28 A.M. He quickly fixed his bed and dug into his bag for clothes to wear. He put on a black T-shirt, black denim jeans and he wore his usual neck belt and his Millennium Puzzle. He grabbed his blue jacket and tied it around his waist, and he was already out the door. Yugi found his friends downstairs in the dining room.

"Hey, Yugi," Joey addressed as he appeared behind him. Yugi could not hold back a laugh once he saw his best friend drenched in water. "Don't say a word."

"JOEY!" Jupiter leaped onto him and her impact made him fall. Mai came in and almost broke into laughter. "You must not be a morning person."

"Get off me!" Joey yelled as Jupiter sat on top of him. She picked herself up and helped Joey to stand. He glared at her, but she only smiled. "You're quite energetic for a Guardian."

"Mind her, she had coffee…" Saturn replied as he entered the dining room with Sephora.

Sephora noticed Kaiba was sitting on the windowsill, overlooking the backyard. She wanted to apologize to him about yesterday, but she had a feeling the CEO would not listen. Sephora strolled to him and sat across from him, both blue eyes staring at each other. "Kaiba, I wanted to -"

"Sorry." Kaiba said quickly. He turned back to gazing outside.

"About what?"

Kaiba took a deep breath. He could not show any sign of weakness to her, even if she supposedly held a higher position of power than him. Kaiba sensed that Sephora wanted him to respond, but her piercing stare lapsed him for a moment. He had to comply about their actions yesterday. "I apologize for saying that Yukai might love someone else."

"I'm sorry I slapped you." Sephora said repentantly. She bowed to him in respect. "I know Yukai wouldn't be seeing May or else she would know where he is."

"Who's that?" Mai asked.

"Just a girl that Yukai met many years ago, although I can't shake off the feeling the person she's going out with currently is someone familiar." Sephora mused. Her intuition told her that May's boyfriend would have been someone that Yugi and his friends knew long ago and now was only a mere memory to them. She had to keep quiet or else they would draw to many conclusions.

"Jupiter, Uranus is trying to contact you." Noa's voice said from somewhere.

"Where is that voice coming from?" Mokuba questioned, glancing around the room. A hologram began projecting itself in front of them and the form materializing surprised him. "Noa!"

A young boy with green hair, blue eyes and looking like Kaiba's younger self appeared before them. "It's good to see that you guys made it out of my virtual world okay." Noa said happily.

"So you did survive!" Mokuba replied. He turned to Jupiter for an explanation.

"Well, I managed to save him before his virtual world was about to be deleted." Jupiter explained. Kaiba gave her a smug look. "What? Aren't you glad to see your stepbrother?"

"Jupiter, it's a long story." Noa said. He hadn't told the Guardian the whole story of his origin, opting to work for her in exchange for saving him. "Should I transmit the message now?" Jupiter nodded to him and he started to relay back Uranus' communication as a plasma screen descended from the ceiling. "I've been helping them throughout the years."

"I guess you haven't been alone all this time." Mokuba said. "It's good to see you again."

Everyone watched the screen as an image of Uranus came into view. The background he was standing behind seemed to be Gold City, or at least that's what Yugi saw. The city was rebuilt back to its glorious state before the Galactic Dragon appeared. By the way Uranus looked, it seemed he was in trouble.

"What is so urgent?" Saturn asked. He had a stern look on his face. Yugi could have sworn he had a cheerful attitude a moment earlier.

"They're back." Uranus responded, his tone of voice rather monotonous. A huge explosion took place and wherever he was at was beginning to collapse. "We need backup and - what are the mortals doing there?" He took notice of Yugi and his friends on the screen.

"The beasts tried to destroy Yugi." Sephora replied.

Uranus' eyes widened. "Very well, bring them with you because we may need them." Yugi wanted to say something, but Uranus had already closed the transmission.

"The warp tunnel is open." Noa said, indicating to a swirling black vortex outside.

"You didn't open it?" Yugi queried.

Jupiter nodded. "The Genesis thought it would be best if we temporarily shut down all access to Animus because of the attacks." She proceeded to fold her arms, looking slightly upset. "Because our three sovereigns are missing as well as the remainder of the Millennium Guardians, we unfortunately voted Uranus to take control."

"Let's not waste time." Sephora said irritably, waving to Noa a farewell. She barged out the backdoor as the others followed.

"See ya, Noa!" Mokuba said as Noa's hologram disappeared.

Mai was nearly taken aback by the two-story hole levitating above the ground. Joey nudged to her, hoping she was not frightened of it. Mai shook her head inquisitively at him and she walked with him, holding his hand. Yugi couldn't help but look at them and he was sadly reminded of Artemis.

The warp tunnel moved in its clockwise motion and seemingly the Guardians took their turns diving in. Joey knew it was Mai's first time using this method of transportation and he thought he should keep an eye on her so she would not get lost. After the Guardians went through, Yugi and the others jumped in and allowed the tunnel to take them to their destination.

In a couple of seconds, they fell from the portal and landed on the ground. Yugi realized it was dark meaning it was nighttime. The deafening roars of a beast resonated in the huge city known as Gold City. Yugi became shocked as he saw there was only one of them, destroying the area after being restored.

Yugi ran down an unknown street as his friends tried to tell the Guardians where he was headed. Suddenly Yugi confronted the cat-like creature who had just demolished a building with one swipe from its deadly claws. He saw his reflection on its pearly-white fangs which seemed to be covered in blood. The smell of ash filled the air and Yugi coughed heavily from it. The creature's red eyes glared at him, the murderous gaze freezing Yugi.

The card containing Ra glowed as if reacting to the beast before Yugi. He drawn up the possibility that the creature's name had to be Sekhmet, and it was the one responsible for sealing Ra's power. If he only could summon it but Sekhmet seemed to be in no hurry to attack. It tried to strike him, and Yugi was quickly saved by Zephyrus. The green-eyed Guardian smirked at him as he took Yugi away from Sekhmet.

"Do you want to get killed?" Zephyrus scolded.

"No," Yugi responded. He heard the loud roars of Sekhmet echoing in the distance. "There's no way I can help. Ra is useless."

"We still have a chance." Zephyrus said. "Guardian of Fortune, come forth!"

Tyche appeared out of nowhere in her true form. She twitched her forked tail as the red gem on her forehead glowed. "Ra, the time has approached to break Set free from his stone prison." Tyche announced. The gem gleamed brightly, and Yugi felt his mind being split from his body.

* * *

Kaiba and Joey tried to summon Ammon, but to their realization, it was constrained by a seal, different from Yugi's. This one had a star in the middle instead of the moon and foreign symbols surrounded the star. The round seal glowed to prevent Ammon's appearance.

"This is not good." Joey said weakly.

"Joey, what's going on?" Jupiter came over and she gasped. Her eyes widened as if she knew what the seal meant.

"Now how are we to stop that creature?" Mai questioned.

Atem looked around, trying to find Yugi and he located no sign of him. "Where's Yugi?"

"I believe Zephyrus found him," Saturn answered, noticing the rescue earlier. "They haven't returned yet."

"I hope he's okay." Atem said.

* * *

Yugi did not know where he was, but Tyche seemed to be guiding his way. His entire body was in an astral form as was Zephyrus. Wherever he was, it was like he was transported to a different dimension.

"We're here." Tyche replied. She stood behind a huge temple and the world around them was covered in shadow. "We are in an alternate world shrouded in darkness. Those wanting the power of the Neo Guardians would seek it at the Temple of the Sun in Gold City, but they will never find it unless they could get themselves here."

"So you have the power to come here." Yugi concluded.

Tyche nodded and went inside the shadow version of the temple. Yugi and Zephyrus pursued her as they saw various statues of dragons. The torchlight directed their way, passing through huge corridors, and Tyche paused in front of a wall. Yugi was baffled until a hidden door revealed itself and opened on its own. Zephyrus and Tyche entered as Yugi followed them.

Inside, Yugi saw seven stone tablets, each standing on either side of the corridor. Tyche walked towards one that began glowing as soon as Yugi neared it. Above the tablet were hieroglyphs that he could not interpret at all. The language puzzled him and then he realized the glyphs depicted the names of Ra and Horus. Underneath the names was another, which was Set. Yugi sensed that the being confined to the tablet was none other than Set, the Guardian Tyche spoke of.

"Yugi, you are the only one to unlock Set from this tablet." Tyche said. She watched avidly, awaiting his actions.

"How can I?" Yugi inquired.

"Touch the stone, and everything else will come to you." Tyche answered.

Yugi strolled closer to the tablet, cautiously making small steps and placed his hand on the cold stone. A light emanated from it as Yugi felt the immense power within the tablet and not removing his hand away. A soft whisper in his mind told him he had to call out to the Guardian sealed inside it. He trusted the voice and found the courage to say the Guardian's name.

"Set, Guardian Servant of Ra!" he exclaimed. "Awaken and serve me once more! Let me control your power!"

Swirls of white light surrounded Yugi, and Zephyrus and Tyche stood back from him. The whole room was consumed in the light and it blinded them to the point when they had to cover their eyes. Then all of it disappeared within Yugi as his body absorbed the light and he held a card in his hand. The tablet no longer portrayed Set, being left blank. It had now become a card, the very card Yugi was holding. The image of Set appeared on it and that meant Yugi was the owner of the card.

"With Set in your possession, you will be able to triumph over the Beasts of Chaos, but beware, Yugi, you cannot work alone," Tyche began. She faced the six remaining tablets. "There will be a time when new allies arise to assist you to defeat the threat that is upon us! Remember, don't allow darkness to devour your soul, or Set will become useless to you."

The dimension started to fade away as Yugi woke up. He cleared his vision to see what was going on, and he found the card in his hand. Yugi noticed it was not bound to the Moon Seal of Sekhmet as Ra was and he knew that Set would be able to stop the mighty creature destroying Gold City.

Zephyrus held out his hand to help Yugi stand up. "We must find where that monster has gone." Zephyrus said.

Yugi nodded in agreement. "Let's go."

They looked around to find where Sekhmet was and they located the creature at the Temple of the Sun. It was prepared to dismantle it into ruin, and Yugi could not bear to watch it create more chaos.

"Yugi!" Atem called out to him. He and the others ran up to Yugi and Zephyrus, and they were all happy that they were both fine. Atem noticed the card in Yugi's hand. "Partner, what is that?"

"A new ally." Yugi responded, raising the card in the air. "Set, Guardian Servant of Ra, I call upon you!" The card glowed and the winds blew harshly, proclaiming the arrival of the Guardian.

All of Yugi's friends stared in awe, especially the Guardians who were taken by surprise that they never heard of Set before. A brown-haired, blue-eyed Guardian with long white wings appeared in the sky and he descended close to Yugi. Set awaited for Yugi to give him orders, and Yugi was more than ready to attack Sekhmet.

"Have you ever seen that Guardian?" Joey yelled out to the Guardians. They were just as shocked as he was and they were too startled to say anything. "I guess I'll take that as a no."

"Set, eliminate Sekhmet!" Yugi ordered. The Guardian obeyed as he took off in the air.

Sekhmet glared at him as it prepared to attack him. The Guardian dodged each of them and countered with his own attacks. Set created a beam of white light that blinded Sekhmet. The creature could not see where he had disappeared to, but then it was hit from behind. Sekhmet roared in agony as it tried to defend itself, yet it was too exhausted.

"I have never seen power such as within that Guardian." Sephora said. She had no clue what type of Guardian Set was, but she believed he could actually defeat Sekhmet.

Set made another beam of light that stretched towards Sekhmet and the creature was trapped, unable to break free. The Guardian produced enough power that could easily destroy it now. Set released his attack as Sekhmet struggled in his trap, and it hit successfully. Sekhmet lied on the ground as it tried to move. Set returned back to the card it came from, making Yugi pleased he was able to stop the monster.

To his surprise, Sekhmet would not back down and it disappeared into the shadows. The Guardians were shocked to its vanishing act and they immediately departed to search for it. Yugi knew Sekhmet would return and this time the two other Beasts of Chaos would be with it.

"That was impressive!" Atem said to Yugi.

Yugi smiled to his friends whilst staring at his card. He wondered why he didn't see Ammon helping Set. "Joey, what happened to Ammon?"

Joey showed him the card. "It seems whoever is after us, is makin' sure that the Phoenix Dragons won't interfere." Joey deducted.

"Any ideas who could it be?" Mai replied.

"It's safe to say it's not Yami Marik." Atem pondered.

"Or maybe it's someone the Guardians know," Yugi suggested. He and his friends watched the Guardians carefully, eying any suspicious behavior from them. "Whatever they're hiding, must not be good."

"Seto, maybe Noa can tell us what had gone on during the past six years." Mokuba suggested.

"Maybe even more." Kaiba added.

They were unaware that two beings were examining them from a faraway distance. A pair of violet eyes stared at Yugi and Atem, then turned to the person with bluish-silver eyes. They both came for an important reason and their duties were called for them to aid Yugi and his friends.

"It is time we make our appearance." A male voice said.

"Yes. They will not last long against the traitor, even if Ra has obtained Set." A female voice responded.

"Then let's us depart." The two beings disappeared into the darkness.

Yugi sensed that they were being watched, but he was too late to notice. He had to keep his guard up or else the new threat he and his friends were facing would one day annihilate them, whomever it was.

* * *

Author's Notes: Six more Neo Guardians to be unlocked. I'm not expecting anyone to figure out the two beings at the end of the chapter since its vague information I am giving out, so don't strain yourselves. You'll find out soon.

Trouble begins to brew as the other two Beasts of Chaos appear to threaten more of Animus. Yugi will find it the hard way that even the mightiest Guardian, such as Set, cannot stop them alone. Two beings confront him and do their best to help. Who can they be? On the next _Struggle of Chaos_ - Chapter 5: The Fight Not Won Alone! Horus and Selene Appear!

Okay, I think that gave it away… Please review.


	5. The Fight Not Won Alone! Horus and Selen...

Chapter 5: The Fight Not Won Alone! Horus and Selene Appear!

Deep within the reaches of Animus, three beings were hidden from the world of light. The darkness of the night had expired and they retreated, confined to the shadows. Their dark powers diminished whenever they were in the light, making them weak and useless. Out of all their spite, only one being held a grudge - that is towards Yugi. The other two just wanted revenge, their anger clouding their minds.

The two beings awaited for their ally to return, they heard her moaning in the darkness. She clutched her chest in pain, the agony received from the attack of Set, Yugi's servant. She hated Yugi, but at the same time felt that she loved him. She could never allow that love for him get in the way of destroying him. Her thirst to kill him turned her very soul dark and cold. The iciness shrouding her heart could never melt, and it seemed her own rage was the cause.

One of the beings stared at her, his hand gripping a short golden rod which atop stood a small sphere with the Millennium symbol. The Millennium Rod glowed as its owner looked at the woman displeased. "You failed." He said.

The woman's dark blue eyes glowered towards him. "Ra managed to release Set!" the woman responded. She nearly staggered to the floor. "I suppose you can do better."

The being grinned. "My beast would have destroyed the mortals if only you performed the curse on Ammon before!" He turned to the other being with the Millennium Ring, whom he was scolding.

"Ammon is of no use to them anymore." He said. His hands glowed against his chest as he finished up the spell he cast.

"They must not unlock the other Neo Guardians or we will face the consequences." The woman warned.

"We'll deal with them as soon as it gets dark." The owner of the Millennium Rod replied. His eyes blazed in the darkness.

* * *

Back in Gold City, Yugi and his friends wandered away from the Guardians to discuss about last night's encounter. They did not want them to know since it was obvious they were hiding something. The sun moved westward in the sky, giving warmth to Animus. Yugi comforted in the rays of light as he held the card containing Set. It glimmered as if reacting to the sun.

"So, Yugi, what is it that you want to talk about?" Atem asked. He noticed Yugi warily looking around, making sure the Guardians did not follow.

Yugi was absolute that they were as far away from the Guardians, so he thought the outskirts of Gold City would do fine. "The Neo Guardians. We haven't heard of them until now." Yugi said.

"It seemed the Guardians had no clue either." Mai replied.

"Apparently that is their motive." Kaiba commented. He crossed his arms, scanning the area carefully. "They could have at least helped us before we became involved with them."

"The Millennium Guardians were watching us during Battle City and they could have freed Mai from the Shadow Realm." Joey muttered, anger rising from remembering the horrifying event Mai had gone through.

"Don't forget Nick." Atem added. "He was sent to the Shadow Realm after he lost to Yami Marik."

"It's like they're keeping secrets from us." Mokuba responded.

"Or they may be telling the truth." Yugi suggested.

"All lies." Kaiba jeered. He walked over to Yugi and grabbed his card. "Set is another Guardian, just like them. How could they have not known about him?"

"Maybe because the Holy Guardians are keeping them our secrets to ourselves." A female voice said suddenly. Everyone saw a woman with violet eyes similar to Yugi. Her long silver hair shined in the sunlight while her flowing silver chiton blew softly in the breeze.

Someone else appeared and his bluish-silver eyes gazed at Yugi. "Think what you want. You are all wrong." The man replied.

"Who are you?" Atem demanded.

The two of them were not pleased by his deposition. Yugi was shocked to see the woman almost resembled him, except for the fact she was a bit taller and lacked the crown of hair he possessed.

"I am Selene, Guardian of the Moon." The woman introduced, smiling.

"Horus, original Guardian of the Sky." Her companion's facial expression shown a hint of annoyance upon saying his name.

The name Horus and Selene triggered a memory in Yugi's mind. He had heard them mentioned by Artemis and soon he confirmed that Horus was her deceased father and Selene was his sister. His eyes widened, he was looking at his ancient ancestors!

"You're -!" Yugi was unable to find the words he wanted to say. His mind became clouded by questions, some that might shed light to the current situation. "You're my ancestors."

"As is Atem." Selene glanced at Atem, staring into his eyes as if searching what lied inside him.

"What is it?" Atem asked.

Selene lowered her eyes. "Do you ever wonder how your family inherited shadow powers?"

"No."

"I used to live in Egypt, and I feel in love with one of the pharaohs. You can guess what happened next." Selene explained, looking somewhat shy to say any more.

"Like Artemis, except for the 'what happened next' part." Atem mused, flushing red in his cheeks.

Yugi stood frozen, lost in thought and he tried to take in all the revelations brought to him. If Selene was right, she would be considered his ancestor, too. Then if it were true, he would have to be part-Guardian as would Atem. Was Yugi really one of them all these years? His parents never expressed anything out of the ordinary with him before they died. Yugi had to find out the truth, and Horus and Selene were the only ones that could tell him.

Selene watched Yugi curiously. Then her eyes shifted to Atem. She knew Yugi was debating with himself about his past as he lacked some knowledge of it. Selene always thought of her descendants as "not normal". Throughout the centuries, they barely realized they inherited shadow powers until they reigned Ancient Egypt. Soon after that, the descendants nearly forgotten about their ancestors and the gift bestowed in them. Their history became a bleak memory, but they kept some of the ancient traditions.

"Selene, what can you tell us about the Neo Guardians?" Yugi queried, raising an eyebrow.

"I thought Tyche told you." Selene said. She noticed his friends puzzled over her response.

"The Guardian Beast of Fortune probably did not reveal herself to them." Horus deducted. "Perhaps even Heka hasn't either."

"You happen to be holding your servant." Selene replied, pointing to the card in Yugi's hand. "Set is one of the Neo Guardians, but the other Guardians, such as the Genesis and Titans, do not know they exist."

"Then they aren't lying." Joey said, then sighed. "Why don't they know?"

"They are incarnates of the Galactic Dragon." Horus explained. His face darkened. "Skyros, Selene, Apophis and I kept the Neo Guardians a secret because we did not trust them."

"Tyche didn't tell me that part!" Yugi yelled. Selene and Horus stared at him in shock. "What's wrong?"

"Then they know." Selene whispered. "We can no longer hide the Neo Guardians from them."

Horus tensed as if he sensed something. The sun began descending and he saw a thick cloud of darkness. He gritted his teeth, wondering what was going on.

"It's too early to be dark." Selene said.

"Darkness dislikes the light." Horus commented.

They all ran to meet the Guardians and found them gazing at the dark sky. Yugi knew someone had to be controlling the black clouds and he felt two forces coming towards the city. Two dark creatures appeared, the source of the darkness, and Yugi wished they had not come at all.

"The Beasts of Chaos." Yugi gasped. The dragon and chimera were back to cause more destruction, and Yugi didn't know how he could defeat the both of them.

Joey looked at Ammon and the star seal was still around it. "The Phoenix Dragons aren't goin' to be much help now."

"That is why we are here." Selene responded.

"No. I think Set can handle them alone." Yugi said, summoning the Guardian from the card.

The dragon and chimera saw Set and they decided to attack. Set dodged them, but the dragon spewed flames aimed for Yugi's friends. Selene quickly came to their aid and produced a shield around them.

"Yugi, you will be needing our help!" Selene shouted. She realized he was not listening.

A dark barrier seemed to surround Yugi, blocking him from the voices outside. Selene couldn't get through to him as she felt Yugi's soul turning cold. She had to save him before the force controlling the barrier succeeded. Selene reached out her hand to touch Yugi and he suddenly broke out of his trance. It was like he never knew it happened.

"Yugi, hear me," Selene pleaded. "Horus and I shall assist you. Ra and Ammon cannot help, neither can Mesenet. These monsters will surely destroy you if we do not work together."

"But what are they?" Yugi questioned.

"The dragon is Anhur and the beast is Shesmu." Selene answered fearfully. "The curse binding Ammon is the Star Seal of Shesmu."

Yugi looked at his friends worriedly. Anhur and Shesmu would go after them and destroy them. How could he leave them alone without any protection? Then he remembered the Guardians. They could defend his friends while he, Selene and Horus fought Anhur and Shesmu, but could he trust them? Yugi had no choice, and their fate lied in his hands.

"Let's go." Yugi said. Horus and Selene nodded as they confronted the Beasts of Chaos. Yugi needed to know their weakness in order to eradicate them. He noticed Selene staring up into the black sky; Yugi wondered what she was thinking. Yugi slowly closed his eyes, hearing the voice of Selene in his mind.

_Darkness and Light do not blend well with each other; the two forces are always in conflict over control. The Beasts of Chaos can only be unleashed when Ra descends from the sky and darkness takes over._

Yugi finally found his answer. "The night!" he blurted aloud. "They only appear when it's dark."

"What are you saying?" Joey asked.

"The first time we seen the Beasts of Chaos was in Domino, they came during the night. They came back a second time _during _the night as well." Yugi explained.

"Ra's light, or better known as the sunlight, weakens the beasts and that is why they sealed its power." Horus added. "When Sekhmet arrived, she came in the night."

"If you haven't noticed, the Beasts of Chaos have covered the sky in darkness." Kaiba said.

"We know." Selene responded. "The Neo Guardians' strength will do." She gazed at Yugi, confirming if he understood the plan.

Yugi nodded and faced Set. "Guardian Servant of Ra, invoke the powers of your master!" Yugi ordered.

Set glowed in a golden light, Anhur and Shesmu did not move. The energy Set gathered immobilized the beasts, they cringed from it as they felt themselves burn. Anhur and Shesmu roared in anguish as the light source intensified. Horus and Selene joined in, transferring a portion of their powers to Set. The Guardian absorbed it all and concentrated it into one attack.

Set released the attack directly towards the Beasts of Chaos. They tried to escape, but it was no use. The light energy hit them as a blast formed, creating shockwaves in the earth. Everyone held on tight as the attack diminished, and Anhur and Shesmu had fallen. Set returned back to Yugi's hand, he noticed the creatures were disappearing, and the sky turned back to normal.

_"This is not over!"_ a female voice yelled in Yugi's mind. _"We will return!"_ The voice gave him chills and it eerily reminded him of someone he once knew.

The Millennium Puzzle glowed, but Yugi couldn't fathom the reason. The item could have possibly sensed Yugi was slowly descending to the darkness, and it tried to warn him. Yugi beamed brightly to his friends and he placed Set inside his deck. He realized the Guardians stayed as far away from Selene and Horus like they were scared of them.

"What's wrong with them?" Atem queried.

Selene giggled. "Even if they are powerful, the Holy Guardians, such as ourselves, can destroy them without that much difficulty. They try to avoid us a lot."

"Disrespectful." Horus remarked. He then turned to Yugi. "The Beasts of Chaos have not been vanquished yet."

"They'll be back?" Joey asked.

"But I thought -" Yugi was cut off.

"Those are merely the underlings of the enemy." Horus said.

* * *

"Well, look whose come to play." The woman snickered to her comrades, speaking of Horus and Selene. They hid in the shadows, undetected. "You two didn't destroy Ra!"

The two men shrugged. They knew she could get upset very easily and no one would want to face her wrath. The Millennium Rod and Ring glowed as if telling them something. They noticed their mystifying light as the woman smirked.

"We have another chance." The owner of the Millennium Rod replied.

"Yes." The possessor of the Millennium Ring agreed. "Ra is the key in ruining our plans and we must have him killed but how?"

"We'll strike him where his heart is feeble and when his mind is willing to submit to the darkness." The woman contemplated. The wind blew as the beings vanished.

* * *

The Guardians created a warp tunnel leading back to their home on Earth. Horus and Selene followed them, it had been nearly millions of years since they set foot on the planet. They were aware of the changes of the world and they only wished the mortals had taken much better care of Earth.

As they all fell out of the portal, someone stepped in front of Yugi. Her blond hair blew in the cold breeze. Yugi gaped at her. "Rebecca!"

"My darling, I have come back to you." Rebecca said. She was not alone. A young girl approached them and she shyly stared at Yugi.

"Is there something you need to tell us, Yugi?" Atem inquired, wanting to know what was going on.

Yugi hesitated and he had no idea how to tell them. Rebecca came unexpectedly, and now she came with a girl no younger than six years old. He was in deep trouble…

* * *

Author's Notes: I bet some of you were wondering about the names I was going to give the two remaining Beasts of Chaos. I changed them before making this chapter because I didn't want it to sound Pokemon-ish… Here's what is going on for the next chapter:

After the battle against Anhur and Shesmu, Yugi returns to the Mortal World to find Rebecca, and who is that girl? Now Yugi has to explain to everyone what had gone on six years ago between he and Rebecca, and the Guardians are not pleased to hear what he has to say. But when the beings behind the scheme of sending the Beasts of Chaos appear, are they tougher than the enemies Yugi has encountered so far? On the next _Struggle of Chaos - _Chapter 6: Confronting the Past: Hathor, the Daughter of Ra!


	6. Confronting the Past: Hathor, the Daught...

Chapter 6: Confronting the Past: Hathor, the Daughter of Ra!

The sight of Rebecca nearly startled Yugi. He never expected her to find him, let alone know where he was. His hands trembled once he stared at the young girl beside Rebecca. He hoped that he wasn't responsible for the arrival of Rebecca. His eyes shifted to look at the young girl whose own violet eyes stared back incredulously.

Rebecca stepped forward and grabbed Yugi by the waist. She seemed to have missed him very much, but Yugi did not share the same sentiment. He struggled within her bonds until she released him. "My darling, I have found you at last." Rebecca said happily.

"Care to tell us what is going on?" Jupiter yelled furiously. She and the Guardians wanted to hear Yugi's reply to her question.

"Uh, well…" Yugi started, noticing all eyes fell upon him. "Rebecca, who is she?" He pointed to the girl.

Rebecca smiled. "She's our daughter."

"WHAT?" Joey shouted. "Yugi, you couldn't have?"

Yugi shook his head. "It's true… I don't know what came over me."

"I guess it is true, men can't control themselves." Jupiter remarked, earning glares from her male friends.

Selene and Horus thought differently about Yugi's daughter. They knew something was wrong as if they had a keen sense. The girl couldn't possibly be related to Rebecca since she had strong Guardian blood and Rebecca was merely human, but it could have come from Yugi. They needed further proof before they could accuse Rebecca and they decided to keep an eye on her.

"What's her name?" Yugi asked.

"Hathor." Rebecca answered.

Hathor seemed displeased of her mother and the look on her eyes proved to Selene and Horus of their suspicions. A hint of fear and anxiety overcame Hathor, she approached Yugi and embraced him. She shifted her gaze to Rebecca and a grieving look appeared on her face.

"Hathor, you know who I am?" Yugi questioned. She gave no response.

At that moment, the Guardians picked up the same uncertainties as Horus and Selene. Their faces contorting in suspicion. Rebecca saw this and needed to come up with an explanation. Her only salvation was lying.

"Hathor thinks you're strangers," Rebecca replied. "She may speak once she's used to the new faces she's seeing."

"That's an unusual behavior," Atem mused, narrowing his eyes skeptically. "Quite like -" He realized he had to refrain from saying any more due to the fact he sounded unbelieving of Rebecca's story.

As the minutes gone by, the sun began descending to the horizon and the temperature dropped rapidly. The sudden chill shivered the group as they noticed how long they have been out. They went inside to warm up and hopefully resolve some things that occurred during the day.

Everyone headed to the living room, and Kaiba thought it would be best if Mokuba should head to his room. The teen tried to tell him that he was not a little kid anymore, but Kaiba was still in a way his legal guardian.

"Seto, how bad can a simple talk be?" Mokuba asked.

"It's a better idea that you get some relaxation after all we've been through," Kaiba explained. "Besides with the Guardians, who knows how long they will drag on with their conversations, especially when there are a lot of them."

"Fine." Mokuba muttered in defeat. "Good night." He then headed straight to his room alone.

Kaiba appeared moments later into the living room and he took a seat near Atem. Joey and Mai sat across from them and to their right were Yugi, Rebecca and Hathor. The Guardians were the only ones standing.

"So, who's startin'?" Joey asked, waiting for anyone to talk first.

"Where to begin…?" Selene pondered. She had told them most about what they needed to know and she wanted to ask Rebecca about how previous six years affected her.

Horus, on the other hand, wanted to question the Guardians. He wondered what had happened with their three leaders, and most importantly he wanted to know the whereabouts of his daughter, Artemis. The Holy Guardian could no longer sense her anywhere, as did Yukai and Pluto. To Horus, it seemed they disappeared off the face of the earth. Also, Rebecca troubled him, but he ignored the feeling.

* * *

Mokuba was in his room unable to sleep. He rested his head on the pillow and he silently tried to fall asleep once again. A low knocking came upon his door and he snapped open his eyes. Mokuba walked to the door and he was pushed in.

"Sssh." Kiki whispered to him quietly. She grabbed his hand and dragged Mokuba out of his room.

"When did you get here?" Mokuba asked.

"Just after you left. I investigated that the last six years and now have a connection. I wanted Noa to help and I thought I should tell you." She explained. Kiki led him away from the bedrooms, and out the door to the cold.

Mokuba shivered in the cold December weather. The night sky began being covered by clouds and the night air chilled him to the bone.

They finally arrived at the fourth building that Mokuba had never entered before. He knew the third one was the infirmary and it held some memories he would rather forget. The both of them went inside, into a room that had a huge monitor within. Noa appeared in his hologram form as Koji sat on a chair. Mokuba had no clue why Kiki brought him here.

Kiki released Mokuba's hand and sat beside the computer screen, typing on what seemed to be instant messenger. Mokuba realized he was probably in the control room, but he didn't want to come to conclusions already. It seemed Kiki was having a conversation online with someone she knew.

"Koji, did she send the information?" Kiki queried. Koji nodded as Kiki opened a file.

"Who are you chatting to?" Mokuba asked.

"A friend in L.A." Kiki answered. She stared at the text given to her and typed back to the person.

"Now, open up the file containing the areas the Beasts of Chaos have struck so far on Earth." Koji said to Noa.

Noa projected a medium-sized hologram showing the world map. Dots surrounded certain parts of the world, indicating where the Beasts of Chaos have appeared. Mokuba figured out that Kiki was predicting the next area they will strike and the information she had must have been part of it. More dots were added on the map and it intrigued Mokuba. Nearly all of the sightings were in every continent except for Antarctica and Australia.

"I knew it!" Kiki replied aloud. She walked over to the map, scrutinizing it. "The Beasts of Chaos have attacked in areas where the Guardians come from. That is why some of them are not here."

"Then it's a distraction." Mokuba said. "What are they hiding…?"

"They must not like Antarctica very much." Koji mocked, poking his finger on the continent.

"Why would the Beasts of Chaos go there? Do they want to dominate the penguins too?" Noa jeered.

"I believe they may want to attack Australia next, but where?" Kiki mused.

Mokuba thought for a moment. He knew of two people that were in danger. "Téa and Nick are there, in Adelaide!" he shouted.

"We have to warn Yugi and the others!" Koji yelled.

"Come on. Noa, be on standby just in case they don't believe us." Kiki said as she, Mokuba and Koji left the room.

They headed back into the cold night. The clouds completely shrouded the sky in a blanket of darkness. Snow began falling, each flake stayed frozen on the ground, creating the white surface. The three plodded through the snow, surprised at how fast it remained above the earth. The harsh winds blew in their faces, nearly freezing them.

* * *

Inside, Jupiter looked out the window, admiring the snow. She was glad to be indoors and not out there. She sighed whilst the rest of her friends were left bored with nothing to talk about. The Guardians had told Yugi everything they knew, and yet they were holding back.

"Is there anythin' else you can tell us?" Joey questioned irritably.

The Guardians faced Horus and Selene. They both turned nervous and were then saved once Mokuba, Kiki and Koji came into the room in a rush. They panted deeply to catch their breath. Everyone turned their gazes to the three teens, waiting for them to speak. Kaiba was as baffled as his friends, he had told his brother to get some rest, and instead wound up with Kiki and Koji.

"Mokuba, I thought -" Kaiba was cut off by Kiki.

"I know the Beasts of Chaos' next target!" Kiki yelled out. She received gasps from almost everyone in the room. "Téa and Nick are in jeopardy if they have no protection against them!"

"But can't their Ka defend them?" Atem inquired.

Selene stepped in. "No, only the Neo Guardians can, and their Ka are no match for them." She warned, her eyes had a glint of nostalgia in them, recalling the events of the past. "My brethren and I have tried to use our Ka but they proved to be unsuccessful."

"If they are six more Neo Guardians, how are we to unlock them?" Yugi asked.

"The Neo Guardians usually choose who their master should be, in most cases, one has to be related to the past in a way." Horus responded.

Sephora looked out the window and her eyes widened. "There's no way we can open the warp tunnel in this condition!"

Everyone stared outside and they noticed how hard the snow was blowing. The trees swayed in the harsh winds, the snow flailed dangerously, capable of knocking someone down. The blizzard took its toll on the street near where they were, and they could barely see anything. The Guardians knew that this was no natural occurrence.

"Someone is controlling the weather!" Selene replied.

"What are we going to do? Téa and Nick need our help!" Yugi cried out. His two friends were easy targets of the Beasts of Chaos. How were they going to rescue them with the blizzard being their obstacle? "There has to be a way!" He slammed his fists on the table. His eyes quivered from the impact.

"Yugi…" Rebecca whispered, walking over to him. She placed her arms around his neck. Sephora glowered at her, not even trusting her.

Hathor stared innocently outside, allowing her hands to touch the cold glass and she sighed. The snow reminded her of sorrowful memories, especially at how fierce it had become. She knew she was unable to do anything.

"I may have a solution." Selene said in a slightly content tone. Everyone turned their attention to her. "I can teleport certain people with me, but the only ones needed are the Keepers of the Millennium Dragons, or Phoenix Dragons, as you like to call them."

"Then the rest of the Guardians will stay?" Mai asked.

"This task will only need the Keepers, and the Beasts of Chaos will likely attack you since you are defenseless." Selene continued.

Rebecca held on to Yugi tightly, never wanting to let go. Yugi tore away from her and approached Selene. Kaiba and Joey strolled with him, expecting them to leave immediately. Horus decided to stay behind, his own reason was he didn't want any ambushes from enemy attacks.

"Come back alive, Joey!" Mai sobbed.

"Yugi, be careful." Atem advised.

"Don't do anything foolish." Mokuba said to Kaiba. His brother nodded to him as a response.

A shining bright light enshrouded them, blinding everyone in the room. Rebecca crept away with Hathor, taking her to Yugi's room. She wanted some time to herself, and with Hathor. Horus watched cautiously as she slipped away in the dark corridor.

Yugi felt he was being transported like being in the warp tunnel, but the trip seemed smoother than it. He hoped that Téa and Nick were fine and the Beasts of Chaos weren't already there to create more destruction. A few moments later, Yugi, Kaiba, Joey and Selene appeared back on the ground, unharmed. Everything seemed peaceful in the city, but three figures stood in the shadows of daylight.

"Why must they always interfere with our plans?" The woman complained.

"Either they are stubborn or they don't know when to quit." The owner of the Millennium Ring sneered. "How long do you think it will be until it is dark?"

The holder of the Millennium Rod snorted. "The clouds of darkness proved to be helpful back in Gold City, and without Ra's friends and those pathetic Guardians with him, he won't stand a chance." The woman began walking away, alarming the two beings. "Where do you think you are going?"

"To find someone." She answered, her eyes glowing menacingly. "Ra will be in some bigger surprises than he thought, in fact, he will be in for the fight of his life."

"Well, whatever you're going to do, go!" The Millennium Rod bearer chastised. As the woman disappeared, thick clouds of darkness filled the once seemingly beautiful sky in Adelaide. Now the Beasts of Chaos were able to do whatever they wanted to the city.

Yugi looked up and his eyes widened. "It's happening again!" He yelled, alerting Selene, Joey and Kaiba's attention. Little did they know, they had further in stored for them than just fighting the Beasts of Chaos, much more.

* * *

Author's Notes: Well, I'm taking a break during my week off from school, so don't expect any updates until I get back to school next year. Another thing, my Christmas one-shot _Tokyo Girl_ will be posted maybe on Christmas Eve, and _Addiction _may be posted sometime in January. So people won't come after me, wanting another chapter, here's the next chapter synopsis:

Téa is being followed for reasons unknown to her, and whoever is after her might probably be one of the owners of the Beasts of Chaos. Yugi must find her before anything can happen. But when Anhur and Shesmu appear, Yugi is going to need more help than ever and another Neo Guardian awakens from their ancient entombment. Who could be it be, and who is the master of the Guardian? On the next _Struggle of Chaos_ - Chapter 7: Shadows of the Night


	7. Shadows of the Night

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh nor do I own Nick who belongs to Linkin-Phoenix, but I do own my original characters. Big thanks to Linkin-Phoenix who provided me information about Adelaide.

* * *

Chapter 7: Shadows of the Night

_Never found final peace_  
_ Their restless life will never cease_  
_ When the moon is shining bright_  
_ They leave their graves as shadows of the night_

DJ Bobo - Shadows of the Night_  
_

The dreary black sky surrounded all around Adelaide. The clear day seemed to have vanished, but the inhabitants of the area knew it shouldn't get dark early in the afternoon. The mysterious clouds of darkness shielded the sunlight and the shadows consumed the light. The sea began cascading waves in the shore and piers, all those there had to evacuate immediately. The winds were strong, able to push heavy objects in its way.

Standing upon the balcony of the Hyatt Apartments was a man with brown hair and eyes. He knew such occurrences like this never happened before. Nick worried about Téa, knowing she had to be in the Botanical Gardens. He went back inside, waiting for her to return.

* * *

A woman with brown hair and blue eyes gazed up into the sky while she was looking at the plants in the Botanical Gardens. Téa noticed how dark it got, staring down at her watch to check the time.

"It's only 1:15 P.M," Téa observed suspiciously. "This can't be right. I should head back or Nick will worry." She left right away as a silent dark figure was watching her.

Téa paced down the streets of Adelaide, constantly looking over her shoulder. The shadow crept even faster to catch up with her, fear exuded by Téa made her run. She realized no one was around like they suddenly vanished.

"Where is everyone?" she asked fearfully. A chill ran down her spine, glancing over to a shadow in the distant. Red eyes illuminated within the darkness as it cornered Téa. "Who are you!" Téa demanded.

_"All in good time, mortal."_ The shadow said, sweeping through the streets to reach Téa.

Téa ran in another direction, trying to find a place to hide. There was nowhere to go except back to the Hyatt Apartments. She sped down empty streets and finally arrived at her destination. Before Téa could go inside, the shadow found her and wrapped her in a cold embrace.

"Let me go!" Téa screamed. The shadow only laughed. She struggled in its grip, her energy being drained by the dark figure. Téa used what was left of her strength to summon her two Ka: St. Joan and Shinato King of a Higher Plane.

The light emanating from the monsters blinded the shadow. A piercing shriek came from it, releasing Téa before she nearly fainted from the lack of air. St. Joan and Shinato attacked while the shadow was defenseless. The light intensified, making it disappear. Téa's Ka vanished with their task complete.

She ran straight inside and went to take the stairs instead of the elevator. She dug through her purse to find the keys and reached the room she and Nick occupied. Téa's hand shook as she fumbled to find the right key, slipping it into the door and rushed in, bumping into Nick. She slammed the door, panting heavily as she collapsed to the floor.

"I was about to look for you." Nick said. He noticed how exhausted Téa was. "What happened?"

"A strange shadow… tried to kill me…" Téa replied as she breathed deeply for air. She calmed down as Nick helped her stand. "What is going on?"

"I don't know." Nick responded. "The telephones and the electricity don't work."

"I have a feeling that whatever has been happening around the world, may have to do with the Guardians."

"Every time there is world peril, the Guardians always seem to be the cause." Nick said. "Possibly whoever was after you wanted to lure Yugi here."

"Then he's in danger!"

* * *

Meanwhile Yugi, Joey, Kaiba and Selene drifted down the streets, noticing that no one was around. The dark clouds loomed high in the sky, for some reason Yugi knew it was not a Shadow Game, but something more. The shadows made him leery of them, each one were a perfect spot to hide shady activity.

Joey nearly trembled as he walked, he couldn't let his fear consume him. He sensed an ominous aura around them, quickly scanned the buildings and streets and located nothing. Joey realized the others were ahead of him and ran after them. Two dark figures watched cautiously of him before disappearing into the shadows.

"Where are we going?" Selene asked, baffled where they were taking her.

"To the Hyatt Apartments," Yugi answered. "Hopefully Téa and Nick are there."

The trip did not take long as they arrived at the apartment complex. Yugi found it unusual that no one was around, but then a shrill cry was heard. He looked everywhere to find the source, and his eyes widened once the Beasts of Chaos appeared.

Anhur and Shesmu flew overhead as if they knew where they were going. Sekhmet was already near to their target, and Yugi hoped they hadn't killed Téa and Nick.

Suddenly the entrance to the building opened and Nick and Téa ran out, shocked by the arrival of the Beasts of Chaos. They had no idea what they were, but they sensed the monsters were evil. Yugi and the others met up with them, overjoyed to see each other.

"You're not hurt." Yugi said.

"Who are you?" Téa questioned, noticing Selene.

"I am Selene." She introduced.

"Can you explain what were those creatures?" Nick interrupted, glancing at the direction the Beasts of Chaos went.

"Right now we need to know where they are going." Yugi replied.

Téa gasped and stared warily into the sky. "Those monsters must be headed to the Parliament House!"

"Great, are there any Guardians wanting to destroy every last bit of the world government?" Nick mused.

"We don't know who's behind this, though." Joey said.

"Well, lead the way." Selene urged. "We haven't much time but I'll explain on the way."

They went straight to the targeted area, passing by seemingly desolate buildings. Selene told Nick and Téa everything about what was going on and of the Beasts of Chaos. She also explained that Ra and Ammon were no longer of use to the Keepers, and that Artemis had been missing for the past six years.

The Beasts of Chaos had not started their destruction, yet looked as though they were waiting for Yugi and the others to come. The creatures stood in front of the Parliament House, prepared to strike, but they also planned to attack the Lord Mayor's house after they were done.

The group approached the Beasts of Chaos, and Téa and Nick were about to summon their Ka until Selene stopped them. They were alarmed by her behavior, and the Guardian continued her explanation of what they were dealing with.

Téa wanted to say something about her encounter with the mysterious shadow. An eerie feeling came upon her like someone watching.

"Téa, are you alright?" Yugi inquired, concerned by her terrified gaze.

"I'm fine." Téa responded. "Selene, how are we supposed to stop these creatures?"

Selene nodded. "Even if the Beasts of Chaos aren't Guardians, man-made weapons still have no effect, especially your sword." She faced Nick who she noticed carrying his sword with him, then she stared at Yugi. "There is still one chance for us."

"The Neo Guardians are the only ones to stop the Beasts of Chaos," Yugi continued, holding out Set, "But will one be enough to stop them?"

"You mean there's more?" Nick queried.

"Seven to be exact." Selene replied.

Yugi held out the card in the air as the Guardian appeared in the sky. The Beasts of Chaos saw Set and they began to attack. Yugi needed Set to lure them somewhere away from the Parliament House, and he knew it would not be an easy task. His friends departed to a safer distance, avoiding the battle.

Sekhmet tried slamming Set to the ground, but the Guardian flew to safety, and then confronted Anhur and Shesmu. Anhur stretched out its long wings and chased Set relentlessly in the air. Shesmu went after Yugi's friends, spewing hot flames towards them. Selene used her powers to transport them somewhere evading the attack. The blaze was intense, melting the asphalt on the street, and a hazy look obscured Yugi's vision on the fight. He was unable to find Set and he searched everywhere.

"Yugi, watch out!" He heard Téa's warning. Sekhmet smashed the sidewalk with her claws, causing it to break, and the debris was headed straight to Yugi.

The tough material hit its mark as Yugi was caught in the blast. Smoke sated where Sekhmet attacked and as it cleared, Yugi was nowhere to be found. Téa dropped to her knees, horrified about her friend.

"Yugi!" Joey called out, running to the pile of rock as Sekhmet melded with the shadows. Kaiba, Téa, Nick and Selene followed him, just as astonished as he. Joey started to remove the debris, hoping that Yugi was fine.

"Wheeler, I doubt Yugi survived that." Kaiba said in a cold tone.

"He can't be gone…" Téa sobbed, taking in Nick's embrace as tears fell from her eyes.

Selene watched the continuous battle, Set was not doing any good, and Anhur and Shesmu seemed to be succeeding. She looked at the others with sadness, and yet, she knew Yugi was still alive. A presence made her jump, two figures appeared before them.

"It is time for the next Neo Guardian to awaken." Tyche said furtively, her forked tail twitched.

"Tyche!" Selene gasped. "Take the chosen mortal to whom the Neo Guardian seeks."

"Joseph Wheeler, come with me." Tyche replied.

"I'll only go if you tell us Yugi's all right!" Joey insisted.

Heka sighed, red eyes glaring at him. "Ra is very much alive, if you know where to look." His head tilted wayward.

Tyche's body glowed as did Joey's. They both vanished, reappearing into the shadow dimension of the Temple of the Sun. Joey was slightly amazed of his surroundings, passing by corridors filled with ancient secrets and treasures. They approached the same wall where Tyche took Yugi, the hidden door unsealed itself and the Guardian Beast stepped in with Joey behind her.

The torchlight flickered, its flame illuminated the stone tablets positioned on two sides of the chamber. One particular tablet glowed, awaiting for Joey to release it from its prison. Instantly Joey walked up to the tablet and placed his hands on it. The light grew brighter as the depicted figure disappeared. A card materialized in Joey's right hand, the portrayed being from the tablet was on it.

"You now control Thoth, Guardian Servant of Ammon." Tyche stated, the chamber began dissolving as Joey returned to Adelaide.

He noticed Sekhmet joined in the fight against Set, Anhur decided it was time to destroy the Parliament House since no one seemed to be able to stop them. Anhur swiped down a stone pillar with its strong spiked tail, the structure began to fall as each of its pillars collapsed. Joey's hardened gaze made him raise the card in the air, summoning the Guardian trapped within.

"Thoth, Guardian Servant of Ammon, I call upon you!" Joey commanded. The Guardian's light seemed to fly out of the card, forming itself in the sky. Auburn eyes stared down at Joey and then realized Set was in trouble.

Thoth interjected the battle as he created lightning in the palm of his hands. He shot his attack at Shesmu, the immense beast fell to the ground. Sekhmet and Anhur were not pleased by the Guardian's arrival and they both attacked Thoth together. Their combined moves were aimed for Thoth, but Set quickly blinded them with his powers of light. Thoth joined in and fired at them another bolt of lightning. Shesmu attempted to get up and it saw the attacks hit both Anhur and Sekhmet.

Set noticed Shesmu remained able to fight. He and Thoth had one more move that could vanquish the monsters. They united their attacks, generating a strong light that weakened the Beasts of Chaos.

They were powerless under the extreme condition they were put through, the dark clouds dissipated and allowed the sunlight to enter. The Beasts of Chaos roared as the harsh rays caused them to retreat once more into the shadows. Set and Thoth returned back into their card form, but Yugi had not reclaimed Set at all.

Joey looked around after Thoth transformed back to his card as his owner went to find his friends. He located them at the Parliament House where the Beasts of Chaos nearly dismantled it. Joey still saw no sign of Yugi and he started to worry.

"Joey!" Téa shouted to him. She was happy that Joey made it, but she was also concerned about Yugi.

Joey caught up with his friends, frightened that his best friend might have not lived. "Yugi, where is he?" he asked, his voice quivering.

Téa shook her head in disappointment. "He hasn't come back."

"Who says I haven't?" Yugi's voice echoed somewhere nearby. His friends looked up as two people stood with him on top of the Parliament House. Yugi walked carefully down the dilapidated building whilst the people with him followed.

"You're alive!" Joey cried happily, rushing to him as the others came behind him. "How did you make it out?"

Yugi looked tensely towards the pair: one male and one female. "Well, they saved me."

"What are you doing here?" Kaiba questioned the male companion, raising an eyebrow. He remembered Stella was a part of the Final Five, but the other person with her was unfamiliar.

"I'm Nanook, Guardian of the North." The man introduced.

Stella smirked at Nanook as he frowned at the destruction unleashed by the Beasts of Chaos. She placed her arms around the back of her neck, kicking some of the debris out of her way. "It seems we have come too late to save this place."

"This is what we get for remaining in Elysium for long…" Nanook replied remorsefully.

"Can you two explain to us what are you talking about?" Joey yelled irritably.

Stella leaped back from him, her eyes twitching from his remark. "You don't have to be rude!" she said back.

"Relax, I'll tell them," Nanook replied. "You see both Stella and I were stationed in Elysium before being called out here. She's just been a bit grouchy lately because she's now taking orders from Uranus." He earned a glare from Stella to which he ignored.

The female Guardian crossed her arms. "Hmph. If you ask me, Uranus always wanted Pluto's position to begin with. Look at how he's bossing us around!"

Unperturbed by her remarks, Joey stared at his Neo Guardian card. "Hey, Yugi, look at this."

Yugi examined the card Joey was showing him and his eyes nearly doubled in size. He took out Set and realized that Thoth was indeed another Neo Guardian. "Two down, five to go." Yugi replied. He gave back Thoth to Joey and glanced at Stella and Nanook.

Sighing, Nanook shifted his feet uncomfortably. "Do we have to stay here? I mean, can't Uranus find someone else to this job for us?"

"I tried. Unfortunately Athena and Vulcan have their own priorities on Animus while Zephyrus is playing errand boy to him." Stella's lips curved into a devious smile. "Why? Can't stand the weather?"

"You know I hate warmer climates."

"Uh, I think we may have attracted some attention…" Selene said timidly, indicating that people were emerging as the sky turned clear again.

They saw the Parliament House, shocked to how it became destroyed. What surprised them more was the fact that Kaiba, Yugi and Joey were in their city without so much as a purpose for having come. Stella and Nanook were nervous, knowing that this would cause trouble should they stick around.

"Why don't we just ignore them…?" Stella suggested to them.

"I don't think that will be easy." Téa said.

"We need to hide from the mortals or they will question us." Selene observed, her eyes glowed and they all disappeared. She made sure that she erased the memory of them at the Parliament House, but at the same time she was confused about how the people could have mysteriously left the city during the whole incident.

The entire group appeared somewhere away from the Parliament House, checking if the close was clear. Stella and Nanook guarded them as Yugi and the others spoke about the latest attack on the Mortal World. Yugi still had no clue to why the Beasts of Chaos came to Adelaide in the first place, yet instinct told him that it had to do with Téa.

He stared at her for a moment, she seemed fine, and he sensed something was not right. He could feel she was appalled about an early encounter with the enemy. "Téa, are you sure you're fine?" Yugi queried.

Téa turned her head away. "A shadow…" she began, "It seemed it was after me and it felt cold, like darkness consumed within."

"How did you manage to escape it?" Kaiba asked.

"I summoned my Ka and their light made it withdraw back to the darkness," Téa continued. "The strange thing about it, it followed me when the clouds started covering the sky."

Yugi knew a connection was taking place. The Beasts of Chaos only appeared during the night, but the dark sky might have been their opportunity to strike. Was the shadow a diversion? Or was there more to just the Beasts of Chaos? Someone was behind their recent attack and he could not let them destroy the Earth at any cost.

"Téa, maybe you should go back with Yugi." Nick said.

"I don't want to leave you if that shadow comes after you too, Nick!" Téa protested.

"We'll protect him. Just as long as he still doesn't hold any hard feelings against me." Stella offered as she wanted to forgive Nick for harming him six years ago. "Right now the mortals need an explanation as to why the Parliament House is in ruin."

Nanook nodded his head. "We'll make sure the Beasts of Chaos don't come back for another attack."

Téa looked back at Nick. She didn't want to leave him, but she knew she was probably needed to help Yugi to fight this inexplicable foe. "Just be careful." She said to him.

Selene used the rest of her strength to create another warp portal, Téa waved farewell to Nick as she and her friends disappeared into the vortex. Nanook and Stella headed back to the Parliament House to see if they could come up with something that could explain the state it was in now. Nick walked back with them, overhearing their ideas.

"I say it was attacked by aliens!" Stella recommended.

Nanook shook his head. "No, no, they won't believe that."

"How about a monsoon hit?"

"There is no way a monsoon could have destroyed it without having the other buildings destroyed along with it."

Nick sighed at their foolishness, but they needed to convince the people of Adelaide and the rest of Australia about what happened to the Parliament House.

* * *

Meanwhile back in New York, Yugi and the others arrived safely back. Selene transported them inside the house they were in before they left. To their surprise, the blizzard had not stopped. The snow fell rapidly from the sky, worrying them if the Beasts of Chaos were behind the unusual weather conditions too.

Téa was glad to see Mai again. She had meet her when she was in Domino a year ago, and the two were just as happy than ever. Selene sat back down on a chair, tired from using her powers. Horus heard his sister explain to him the details of the fight against the Beasts of Chaos and how Joey unlocked the second Neo Guardian.

Yugi noticed someone was missing. "Where's Rebecca?" he asked.

Atem came over to him and smiled to Téa. ""I believe she went to your room with Hathor."

"Hathor?" Téa inquired.

"I'll tell you all you need to know." Jupiter said, taking her to the dining room where it was more peaceful.

Yugi looked out the window as the blizzard became severe. He pondered over what their new threat was after, he was sure they wanted Ra's power, and yet it seemed it wasn't that. There was something more he was neglecting and all the clues were getting him nowhere. He stared down at his Millennium Puzzle, the very object that lured most of his enemies to him. This time his foe might have wanted to attain a greater power, and only the Guardians knew what they were after.

* * *

Author's Notes: Not much to say but here's the synopsis on Chapter 8:

Evidence linking to the Beasts of Chaos still do not add up to Yugi, and it's time for him to ask the questions. He knows the Guardians have the answers, yet they lead him on a wild goose chase. Also suspicion begins to arouse Téa about Rebecca's purpose in being with them, and she, too, seeks the truth from her. On the next _Struggle of Chaos_ - Chapter 8: Proof is the Final Battle!


	8. Proof is in the Final Battle!

Author's notes: Yep, another flashback scene in this one.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, but I do own my original characters.

* * *

Chapter 8: Proof is in the Final Battle!

**Location: Gold City, Animus, Two centuries ago  
**

_Fire rained down from the sky as a dark veil covered the sun, moon and stars above. Cities were shrouded in flames, the ocean rippled furiously along the coastlines, and the darkness consumed the earth._

_The Guardians could no longer take the devastation of their world, but their single solution seemed risky. There was no way for them to stop their powerful adversary and their people's lives depended on their decision. It seemed the Guardians' fate was at hand, and it was now time to begin._

_Artemis and Yukai encountered each other for the very last time in Gold City where they first met. Although their bond of friendship was broken, they came in amity to decide their future._

_"Artemis," Yukai said as he approached her. They stood before the very castle that held their memories of the past._

_"We're expecting another to arrive." Artemis replied. Yukai took a step back as Pluto appeared from the shadows. Both brothers glared at each other. The female Guardian raised her hand. "Peace, Yukai."_

_"I have only come to tell you the details of Seiryu," Pluto replied. Yukai continued to glare. "Remember, Seiryu did this to me!" Pluto indicated to his bandaged left eye which was stabbed horribly by Seiryu's sword. He was now only able to see through his right eye. _

_"This may be the last time we will see each other." Artemis said remorsefully. _

_Yukai stared back at Gold City, he couldn't bear to stare at what had become of his city. He was supposed to be the new ruler after his father perished and now this event caused the Guardians' final hour. "There may be a chance we will meet again in the distant future."_

_"But who knows when that will happen." Pluto protested. He closed his eyes, ignoring the sadden gaze of Artemis. He knew what made her angry and he only hoped she could forgive him for what he had done. _

_"Well, it's time." Artemis proclaimed. "Whether or not we will survive, we know we have not died in vain. Our destiny still continues…"_

* * *

**Location: Earth, Present Day  
**

The glistening snow shone in the morning sun as a month had gone by with no attacks by the Beasts of Chaos. The entire world was aroused of their previous destruction in Adelaide, and everyone was alert more than ever. The world leaders did not know their threat, but the monster sightings made them concerned. No one knew of Yugi's involvement with the Beasts of Chaos, and that was what the Guardians were trying to cover-up.

Yugi was in the living room with Rebecca and Hathor, watching a coverage of the American president's speech informing everyone of the latest world threat. They were intrigued over how the Guardians had managed to evade the watchful eyes of the press.

Jupiter walked into the room, glaring at the television. "If the Beasts of Chaos came when the last president was in office, I wonder how he would react to the situation." She snorted.

"Well, be thankful the Prime Minister of Australia did not blame America for the annihilation of the Parliament House." Yugi said, dropping his elbows on his knees.

"What theory did your friends propose?" Rebecca asked.

Jupiter sighed. "Terrorists." She understood that was the only way to convince the mortals rather than use the excuse of alien beings invading the Earth. Of course, one could say that the Guardians were an alien race of their own.

"It's very strange that the Beasts of Chaos have not returned." Téa said, entering the room with Mai.

"They could be plotting their next attack." Mai suggested. She first glowered at Rebecca and then sat down on a chair.

"They will be back." Selene remarked as she arrived in the room. Horus appeared behind her, a worried look crossing his face.

Yugi grew suspicious of them. The two Holy Guardians remained silent after the attack in Adelaide and a whole month passed without any appearance of the Beasts of Chaos. He knew the creatures were here for a purpose, and so were Selene and Horus. A single thought triggered his mind and Yugi might finally have the perfect question to ask them.

He calmly stood up and walked over to them. "What happened during the Final Battle?" Yugi inquired. Selene and Horus nodded, realizing he wanted to know the truth.

* * *

As the sun gone down in Animus, the three beings hid in the shadows, awaiting for the light to disappear. The last rays were no more as they came out from their shelter. Their defeat in Adelaide only angered them, causing them to retreat and ponder over a new plan to stop Yugi's interference.

"None of us can even kill that runt!" The Millennium Rod owner yelled. He faced the woman in the corner. "Ra is the only one that can prevent us from accomplishing our goal!"

"His forces may be growing in number, but staying united will lead to their downfall," the woman commented, lying her back to the corner. "I was this close to almost killing that mortal girl!" She stared at her hands angrily whilst they shook.

The bearer of the Millennium Ring nodded, prodding his fingers on the delicate eye. "If Ra desires the secrets of the past, he would want to go to Egypt where it all began." A sly smirk came upon his face. "The mortal thinks he may have won but he's not even close."

"Maybe we should pay the ones who owned your item a little visit." The woman contemplated.

"This time failure is not an option." The holder of the Millennium Rod said as they vanished into the shadows.

* * *

Yugi awaited to hear a response from the two Holy Guardians. Horus and Selene exchanged glances before agreeing to answer Yugi's question. Joey and Kaiba stepped into the room, overhearing the conversation in the hallway.

"Most of the Guardians had betrayed one another, causing utter chaos in Animus," Horus began, "None of them knew who was really behind the Final Battle, but it was believed Pluto was a pawn. He seemed to know whom our nemesis was and concealed the information until it was too late."

"Yukai and his faction deriving of Guardians loyal to him were the first defense against Pluto's own forces," Selene paused for a moment, gathering the rest of the details. "Artemis refused to enter the fight, and as a result, many in her faction were either tortured or killed by Pluto in an attempt to draw her out. The plan was successful, gaining Artemis' wrath."

"Basically the Guardians were fighting each other." Téa said sadly. "How did the good ones win?"

Selene and Horus turned away. "Artemis and Yukai, despite all their hatred towards Pluto, had to work together with him," Selene continued. "In the end, all the remaining Guardians sacrificed themselves to defeat the enemy."

"Everything is starting to make sense." Yugi pondered.

"And so the Guardians were reincarnated into this modern day." Atem concluded. "There must be a reason for this."

"Unless the Guardians' foe has returned." Yugi said.

Rebecca gasped, holding Hathor in her arms. The girl simply rolled her eyes.

"Then who was this foe?" Kaiba asked.

"Our brother, Apophis, but the Guardians defeated him nearly a decade ago." Selene answered.

* * *

None of them were aware Kiki, Koji and Mokuba were eavesdropping. They listened carefully to every detail and the name Apophis made Kiki and Koji shudder. Mokuba blinked in confusion as they headed to the dining room.

"Noa!" Kiki called, the hologram being materialized in the room.

"What is it?" Noa queried.

"Does the database contain information on the last decade?"

Noa stood back. "You can't access them! The Guardians keep it confidential."

Kiki smirked. "Fine. Then locate a file possibly named _Arrival_." Noa searched the entire database and found what Kiki was looking for. He nodded to her. "Keep that file saved and now locate the file named _Final Battle_."

Mokuba was bewildered with her search. He didn't know what she was looking for, the files found seemed very secretive. "Uh, Koji, what is she doing?"

"Kiki believes the past has a link to the present," Koji explained. "She had been in her brothers' misadventures a few times, as did I. Somehow she thinks the Guardians are hiding something."

Moments later Noa found the file as Kiki told him to open it. Within the file, text after text filled with information appeared on the plasma monitor. Kiki scrutinized through each column before her eyes widened.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Mokuba asked.

"Yes, but it seems the Beasts of Chaos emerged ten years ago, before now!" Kiki shouted.

Mokuba went to check if she made an error while reading the file. To his surprise, Kiki wasn't lying. "The Beasts of Chaos existed prior to now. How can that be possible?"

"My brother never spoken much about this. He kept information away from me, but now I honestly think that we have to ask the questions to the remaining Guardians who were with him." Kiki deducted. She knew getting that information would not be easy.

"Only Jupiter and Saturn can answer them." Koji said. He and Kiki began to leave until Mokuba stopped them.

"Let's wait for Yugi to finish his questions." He decided. Kiki and Koji nodded, agreeing with him.

* * *

"You know, the Guardians said somethin' about this Apophis," Joey replied. "We just heard him mentioned a few times."

"Maybe he could be that shadow that nearly killed me!" Téa postulated. Rebecca glared at her, as if wanting the shadow to have done the deed.

"Well, Apophis could transform into shadow. Pluto inherited that, and -" Selene stopped mid-sentence. It seemed Horus stared at her furiously, like she was giving all the information away on the spot. "Uh, is there anything else you wish to ask?"

"Don't change the subject!" Joey yelled, noticing what startled her.

"If the Guardians did defeat Apophis years ago, how did they?" Yugi asked.

"My sword." Horus replied, his eyes turning dark. "It only petrified Apophis because the Guardians had not the power to stop him, so my sword sealed him for all eternity."

"Then it can't be Apophis, unless the sword was removed. "Yugi ruminated.

Selene shook her head. "Only the ones who bound Apophis' power can break it."

Suddenly Jupiter stood up, her eyes quivered in shock. She ran out of the room without saying a word. Everyone was totally baffled by her departure.

"What's wrong with her?" Téa questioned.

Saturn abruptly entered the living room, he scanned around and then left. It seemed he was looking for Jupiter and he knew what could have gotten her upset.

"Maybe we should stop," Rebecca said. "The Guardians probably have no clue who the enemy is anyway."

"Yugi, aren't Ryou and Bakura in Egypt?" Téa asked.

"Yes, why?" Yugi responded. He wondered what she was up to. "They are excavating at the site where my parents were killed."

Atem raised an eyebrow. "Your parents were probably killed because the site may have contained secrets about the Beasts of Chaos."

"It could be possible that their murderers were servants doing Apophis' bidding." Selene said.

Yugi bit his lower lip. If only he could recall what those cloaked people looked like, then maybe Horus and Selene could identify them. The murder of his parents left a scar on his life that would never heal; the memory of them was now a vague image in his mind.

"If you want, I can take you to Egypt, and see if your friends have found anything." Selene offered.

"Are you sure it's safe for us to leave? The Beasts of Chaos may attempt to ambush us." Yugi advised.

Immediately, Rebecca rose up to her feet and confronted Yugi. "If I were you, I would go to Egypt before whatever your parents excavated will be destroyed." She noticed Horus glaring at her. "Quit staring at me like that!"

"Rebecca, I think he's still disturbed by the fact that Yugi is a father." Téa snapped. In reality, she did not believe Rebecca was truly Hathor's biological mother. Hathor was too estranged from her and something inside Téa's mind told her Rebecca was speaking lies.

"Well, Horus' glare is annoying!" Rebecca complained. "He should show some proper respect." She realized Selene took a step back.

Horus became enraged; his face turning stolid, and he grabbed Rebecca by the wrist. "Mortal, how dare you speak that way to a royal member of the Dragon Dynasty!" he shouted. "You're fortunate that I am sentimental to your kind or you would have been killed!"

"Horus, calm down." Selene said softly, rushing to quell him. She carefully removed his grip on Rebecca and pulled him away. "I apologize for my brother's behavior." Selene bowed in respect. "Horus, maybe you should go with Yugi to Egypt while I stay with Rebecca and Hathor."

"What about Mokuba?" Kaiba asked.

"Y'know, I haven't seen him." Joey replied.

"I saw him with Kiki and Koji." Téa said.

"Go, I'll tell your brother where you are going." Selene responded.

Yugi and his friends went straight outside; the snow seemed deep as they plodded through it. Horus was slightly still upset with Rebecca, but he was able to open the warp tunnel. Yugi told him that Ryou and Bakura were located somewhere outside of Thebes. Horus made sure the vortex led to the destination; the swirling black tunnel appearing.

Before anyone jumped in, Mai had one question to ask. "Do Ryou and Bakura know we're coming?"

"We'll surprise them." Joey responded, taking her hand and leaping into the vortex.

Yugi, Téa, Atem, Horus and Kaiba followed them through the warp tunnel. Their trip felt smooth and they soon arrived at the other end.

* * *

The sun was already heading down its setting phase; Ryou and Bakura were exhausted from their day of unearthing artifacts. "Bakura, I think you are starting to lose your touch if you think you are the best tomb robber still alive." Ryou remarked.

Bakura smirked. "I haven't even heard of this ancient treasure trove," he began, "It seems to be much older than Egypt itself."

"That is strange." Ryou looked up towards the sky, dumbfounded by the rapid descent of the sun.

Bakura gazed too and he blinked in perplexity. "In all my years in Egypt, I have never seen the sun set this early." He had this bizarre feeling that this occurrence should not be happening. It appeared some unknown source was at work, and Bakura sped down to the camping area to find Marik.

Ryou came after him, and they both searched for Marik in every tent. They finally stumbled upon him with Ishizu and Odion who were all staring towards the sky. Whatever was going on, the three were confused as were Ryou and Bakura.

Hidden within the darkness, the three shadowed beings were watching them. This time they had to destroy what little remained of the past, and for good. They could not let anything be discovered by Yugi, or else he would obtain the knowledge on how to stop them.

* * *

Author's Notes: Pay very close attention to important details in this chapter because they will make sense later on. Here's Chapter 9 synopsis:

The enemy is after the tomb that Ryou and Bakura are searching for, but unfortunately Yugi has come to stop them. Téa is acting strangely, and the shadow that was after her in Adelaide may come back to finish its job. The very stake of the ancient tomb is at risk, and Yugi must do everything he can to protect it. On the next _Struggle of Chaos_ - Chapter 9: The Truth Written in Stone: The Excavation Ambush!


	9. The Truth Written in Stone: The Excavati...

Author's Notes: Okay, so the previous chapter did seem confusing, but I meant for that to happen.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, but I do own my original characters.

* * *

Chapter 9: The Truth Written in Stone: The Excavation Ambush!

The blazing sun descended towards the horizon, the land itself turned cold by each passing minute. The golden-brown sand shifted in the soft breeze as the dark clouds covered the sky. The day seem to be swallowed up by the night, no stars shined, and it caused concern to the bystanders who watched.

Bakura stared ominously at the sky, in all his years in Egypt, he knew this was no natural occurrence. Even Marik, Ishizu and Odion found it unusual for the sudden change in the atmosphere. Ryou looked on in shock, he sensed something was wrong, and he heard deafening roars approaching their direction.

Ryou observed closer and his brown eyes widened. Three fierce creatures appeared from the thick veil in the sky; the red dragon was first to land on the ground, its shimmering wings shone. The cat-like creature was next, its red eyes glowed as it was followed by the dark beast, whose mighty roar reverberated.

"What are those?" Ryou yelled. He turned to Bakura to seek an answer.

Bakura adverted Ryou's eyes and looked down at the sand. "How should I know? I have never seen them before!"

"They must be shadow monsters." Marik deducted.

"I believe it's time for Diabound to deal with them," Bakura said. "Host, you and the others get away from here."

Ryou rolled his eyes. "Why do you persist on calling me host, when you have a body of your own?" he groaned.

Bakura grinned. "Because I prefer to call you host instead of saying your name, despite the fact that I am now alive."

"Did that make any sense?" Marik questioned, looking on puzzled.

"He's a complicated person." Ryou sighed.

Bakura summoned his Ka, Diabound, the huge monster stood behind him, its snake-headed tail whipped about. The Beasts of Chaos were not intimidated by it, they expected no less of a powerful Ka coming from a 3,000 year old tomb robber. They easily could dispense Diabound in a matter of minutes.

* * *

Yugi and his friends searched for Ryou and Bakura even though they could not locate where the excavation site was. The more they looked, the less chance their friends had for survival. Unfortunately they had come too late as the Beasts of Chaos began their rampage.

"Where are they?" Yugi said. He noticed Horus scanning the desert, it appeared he knew where Ryou and Bakura were. "What are you doing?"

Horus stopped. "The tomb you are looking for is in that direction." He pointed to the further side of the desert opposite of where the Beasts of Chaos were.

"You better be right." Joey replied.

"For our friends' sake." Téa said.

They all ran towards Horus' direction, but Kaiba stayed behind. Something about this area felt familiar to him, like he were here before. He did have a past life in Egypt, but all that was put aside him.

_"Seto," _a woman's voice whispered in his mind.

_Don't tell me I have lost it_, Kaiba thought. He looked around, the voice had to come from somewhere.

_"You and Jounouchi are needed once again."_ The woman continued. _"Blue-Eyes will guide your path…"_

"Okay, I think I'm about to wake up from this dream." Kaiba responded sarcastically. He ran in the direction the others went, but not before looking back. He saw a ghostly woman with pale skin and blue eyes and she suddenly disappeared.

Kaiba resumed running until he met up with them. Horus was, indeed, correct about the location of the excavation site. Everyone saw Ryou, Marik, Ishizu and Odion gathering all their research material and leaving in a hurry. Ishizu noticed them watching and she notified the others. Yugi walked over to them, gleeful that they were alright.

"It is good to see you all again." Ishizu greeted, her blue eyes broadened once she saw Atem. She remembered despite Yugi defeating him in the Ceremonial Duel that Atem was unable to go into the afterlife because he had another task to take care of before crossing over. It was then that the Guardians started interfering in their lives.

Atem blinked in confusion until he realized what startled her. "I guess you're not used to seeing me alive."

"Maybe we should have visited you all in Domino more often." Marik remarked.

"Téa, where is Nick?" Ryou inquired.

"Still in Adelaide after the Beasts of Chaos attacked." Téa answered.

Ryou raised an eyebrow. "Beasts of Chaos…?"

"Those." Yugi directed to the monsters.

"They do look like the creatures carved in the stone inside the tomb." Odion said. "These Beasts of Chaos may have roamed free during Atem's reign, perhaps even before."

"Yugi, who is this?" Ryou asked, noticing Horus with them.

"He's Horus, the original Guardian of the Sky," Yugi explained, "and don't say anything that will insult his status." He quickly decided to add that minor detail in fear over the Holy Guardian's earlier reaction. Yugi examined where Diabound was, and he was sure Bakura had to be with it.

"Why are you all here?" Ishizu questioned.

"To stop the Beasts of Chaos, but we initially planned to investigate the tomb you excavated." Yugi replied. "It seems they want to destroy it."

"That must be it." Ryou agreed.

"There is no time to waste!" Horus interrupted, glancing at the Beasts of Chaos in the distance. "Before long they will obliterate what little left of the Guardians' ancient history from this world. Then all will be lost."

"So it is true, the Guardians once ruled Egypt." Ryou concluded. He laid his backpack full of scrolls and texts on the ground and took out a sheet of papyrus. Hieroglyphs were drawn on it, and began glowing, as if sensing a familiar presence. "This contains important facts that must never fall into the enemy's hands."

Yugi grabbed the scroll, interpreting what it could be depicting. Atem looked at it and recollected how to read the ancient writing. Though they had not much time to waste, Yugi handed back the scroll to Ryou, and he took out Set's card. Joey searched his deck for Thoth as they together summoned them.

Ryou, Marik, Ishizu, and Odion stood back, gazing at the two Guardians in awe. They had never witnessed anything like this before and they watched the beings head over to assist Diabound.

"The Neo Guardians," Ishizu mused. "They do exist." Yugi looked at her, perplexed about her response. Ishizu smiled kindly and said, "The carvings in the tomb spoke of them, yet it seemed that the information was like a puzzle."

"Take us there." Yugi urged.

Ishizu nodded and signaled them to follow. They were taken to a large dune where they could see an entrance within it, having recently been uncovered from the desert sand. The Beasts of Chaos had not even started to attack because Set and Thoth blocked them from entering the tomb. Bakura stood guard next to Diabound, not knowing what the Neo Guardians' purpose was.

Yugi slid down the sand and confronted Bakura. The Tomb Robber prevented Diabound from attacking and mistaking him for the enemy. The others found Yugi and Bakura, and hid inside the tomb's entrance.

Bakura faced Yugi, certain that he knew what was going on." What in Ra's name is happening?"

"We need you to recall back Diabound." Yugi responded.

"Why?"

"The Beasts of Chaos will destroy your Ka and it won't be able to hurt them."

"Fine." Bakura ordered his Diabound to withdraw, it disappeared from whence it came. "Now what?"

Joey smirked. "The Neo Guardians will take care of the Beasts of Chaos."

Téa felt a sudden chill go down her spine. The lack of light inside the tomb, with the exception of the provided torchlight, made her sense an almost familiar shadow that tried to kill her back in Adelaide. She leaned on the cold walls, not realizing black mist surrounded her.

The entire tomb went dark, and Téa was all alone. The temperature began to decrease, causing her to shiver. She stared terrified of the darkness around her and she was slowly becoming feeble.

_"Pathetic mortal,"_ a masculine voice said softly.

"What do you want?" Téa yelled. She crouched to the floor, covering her ears. The sound of laughter echoed in her mind.

_"No one can save you…"_ The voice continued. _"Scream all you want, your so-called friends won't come. The darkness has claimed your soul and you will now serve it!"_

Téa closed her eyes to avoid seeing the black void around her; someone had to save her, but the question was will she be rescued? "I'm not weak… I don't want to be weak…" she muttered.

"Téa!" She heard Yugi calling. Téa opened her eyes and found herself still inside the tomb. Yugi's look of concern astounded her. "Did you faint?"

Téa's vision blurred, she tried to observe her surroundings carefully and realized she was no longer in the dark place. "I guess I did…" Téa responded.

Outside the tomb, the Beasts of Chaos had lost their patience and started to attack. Set and Thoth defended the entrance by leading them away. Although the Neo Guardians seemed to have the upper hand, using their battle tactics to subdue their quarreling foes. Anhur slipped away, undetected.

The huge dragon conjured up all of its strength and directed its attack at the tomb. Flames formed in its jaw and it shot the scorching blaze towards Yugi and the others. Yugi noticed the attack coming at them, warning his friends about it.

"It's getting quite warm in here." Joey said, tugging at the collar of his shirt.

"Unfortunately we will be burned to a crisp. Of course we know why it's so hot!" Bakura shouted.

They all ran further down the tunnel to escape the fire moving towards them. Horus pushed everyone behind him, his eyes glowed as a barrier shielded them. The flames blew around them and began to disappear. Horus removed the barrier, making sure the others were fine.

"Anhur will not cease unless we are destroyed, buried within this very tomb." Horus stated.

Yugi stared at the carvings on the wall. The tunnel seemed to go much deeper, and one specific carving caught his eye. He ran his finger over the etched stone, examining how cryptic it was drawn. His Millennium Puzzle glowed softly; Yugi had found some of his clues to his unanswered past, why his parents were killed. The origin of the Beasts of Chaos was right in front of his eyes.

Téa walked up to him, she gazed at the carving vigilantly, and her mouth formed a wicked smile. She reached out her hands, raising them around Yugi's neck and preparing to attack. Yugi turned to face her before she could anything. Téa tumbled to the ground and awoke from her trance.

"This is it." Yugi said happily.

"Did you find something?" Atem asked as he and the others approached him.

"See for yourselves." Yugi moved away, allowing his friends to witness the depicted images on the wall.

"I thought I would never see this again." Horus said, discontent. He ran his hand over the carving of Sekhmet. "They were rampant all over the Mortal World, their creator…" He drifted off.

"What's wrong?" Yugi inquired.

"The Phoenix Dragons."

Yugi stood frozen with shock, he couldn't believe what he had just heard. The mightiest creatures of the universe actually created the most feared monsters, the Beasts of Chaos.

"If memory serves, the Phoenix Dragons were good," Kaiba commented, crossing his arms. "As a descendant of them, why did they create the Beasts of Chaos?"

"I'm surprised." Horus said. "You're the reincarnation of Ammon, answer that yourself. Besides, Isis and Osiris know since they are the children of Ra and Mesenet."

"So you're saying you don't know?" Mai replied.

"Maybe we can find our answer somewhere deeper in this tomb." Yugi pondered. Suddenly the tunnel shook, the ceiling crumbled and started to collapse around them.

"We must evacuate!" Ishizu advised. "We will be trapped in here if we don't get out!"

Yugi had no choice in the matter, and he and his friends ran out of the long tunnel. Anhur continued to blast its fire attacks at the tomb. Set and Thoth were too occupied with Sekhmet and Shesmu that they failed to stop Anhur.

"Horus, isn't there something we can do!" Yugi asked.

"Even I cannot stop them…" Horus said sadly.

"But you're a Holy Guardian." Mai responded.

"My powers have become limited in this mortal form. My true form was sealed by the Guardian of the Afterlife. The requirement for Selene and I were to give up our true forms in exchange to aid you." He explained while staring hard at his hands to avoid their eyes.

Anhur succeeded in destroying the tomb, the entrance caved in and all its remnants had gone down with it. Shesmu and Sekhmet stopped fighting with Set and Thoth, and retreated with Anhur. The shadows swirled around them and they completely vanished. The Neo Guardians returned to their owners' hands. Yugi and Joey felt they had lost hope.

The sky changed back to normal, the black clouds disappeared as the stars shone brightly. The feeling of defeat loomed around Yugi, if only he could have prevented the Beasts of Chaos from demolishing the tomb.

Yugi staggered to the ground and slammed his fists on the sand. "WHY?" His shrill cries echoed loudly throughout the desert.

* * *

Author's Notes: I bet no one expected that to happen. This chapter, Horus explains how he and Selene came back to Earth, and their true forms… I'll keep that to myself. Here's the next chapter synopsis:

Returning back to New York leaves a distraught Yugi to contemplate new ways to defeat the Beasts of Chaos. Maybe Sephora knows a way, but she will allow only two people to go, and she chooses Joey and Kaiba. What is she thinking? They will never work together, and where is she sending them? On the next _Struggle of Chaos_ - Chapter 10: Sephora's Challenge: The Unlikely Team


	10. Sephora's Challenge: The Unlikely Team

Chapter 10: Sephora's Challenge: The Unlikely Team

The long night seemed to drag on for Yugi and the others. They stayed in Egypt while studying the ancient text Ryou saved. The feeling of defeat wavered around Yugi, he had failed to protect the tomb and the secrets that could have remained within.

The small lamplight was the only source of light Yugi had as he read through each scroll sprawled on Ryou's desk. Each one became more puzzling than the next, and Yugi was frustrated by the hieroglyphs. Like Ishizu stated, the texts were similar to a puzzle, a piece was missing in each one. Yugi rummaged through the scrolls the whole night, his anxiety was the least to worry, but the lack of sleep would get to him.

Morning dawned as everyone stirred from their slumber inside the tents. Despite the time of day in New York, which should be nighttime, Yugi and his friends thought it was best to relax after what occurred yesterday.

Téa went into Yugi's tent where she found him sleeping on the scrolls. She quietly snuck in, glancing at the pieces of writing. She had no clue what each said and she carefully lifted a scroll. Téa nearly toppled back as she heard Yugi yawning.

His sleepy eyes looked around as he caught Téa staring at him. Yugi stretched out his arms and got off his chair. "Morning, Téa." He greeted with a smile.

"Morning." Téa replied, placing the scroll back on the table. She didn't know how Yugi felt, but she hoped he was fine. "Are you okay?"

"Slightly." Yugi answered in a bitter tone. He gathered each scroll and began to leave the tent. Téa followed him to make sure he was giving them back to Ryou.

All their friends were awake; the hot sun beat down on them as they lounged in the shade of the tents. Yugi located Ryou along with Bakura and Marik, packing the last of their equipment in a jeep. Ryou noticed Yugi coming towards them, he glared at Bakura as the Tomb Robber was upset at Yugi for having failed to protect the ancient tomb.

"You're returning the scrolls?" Ryou asked.

Yugi handed them to him before turning away. "Maybe you will have better luck deciphering them than me." He immediately walked away, leaving Ryou, Bakura and Marik bemused.

"What's wrong with this picture?" Marik commented.

"That's not the Yugi we know." Ryou stated.

"Let him heal the bitter scars of defeat," Bakura said. He earned unusual gazes from Ryou and Marik. "You want me to be supportive or not? He just seems down."

"It's not every day you will get a victory," Marik began. "Before I accepted you all as friends, my failed goals were crushed due to the fact I was blind. I should have acknowledged my destiny instead of betraying it. Yugi is preventing that same mistake."

"Unlike some people." Ryou glowered at Bakura.

"What? I'm no longer seeking the Millennium Items since the Guardians took them." Bakura assured. "Well, possession of the Ring and Rod."

"And where are the Guardians who took them?" Marik inquired.

"Disappeared, or at least that's what Joey told me." Ryou responded. He stared up at the sky, oblivious of an approaching figure in the distance.

* * *

Darkness lingered in wait for the sun to go down in Animus. The wisps of shadows prowled about, satisfied of their latest attack and breaking Yugi's spirit. If they could keep diminishing what was left of him, then maybe they could succeed in destroying him.

Slowly, the shadows formed itself in the shape of three beings. Their location was unknown, but it seemed no one could dwell within wherever they were.

"With the tomb gone, Yugi won't be able to know more about his forgotten past." The woman said.

"Because _I _was the one to destroy it!" The owner of the Millennium Rod spat.

"His morale is down, and this time we cannot fail," the holder of the Millennium Ring replied. He leaned his back to the wall. "His mortal friends keep him away from the darkness but…"

"Manipulating a mindless doll is all we need to devastate him." The Millennium Rod bearer finished, the item glowed in his hand. "We must be wise to which we choose."

The woman smirked. "The perfect subject was within my grasps." She muttered angrily. "Are you certain about this?"

"The item I possess can grant me the ability to do so." He stated, curling his fingers where the hidden knife was.

"Even if Yugi has the Millennium Puzzle, he doesn't have the remaining four." The Millennium Ring owner inferred.

The woman shifted her gaze to a random corner. The shadows were moving, responding to an unknown source. "We have other tasks to do." She said. The two beings looked at her curiously. "We must remain scarce or else Yugi will find out who we are. He must not know yet, and it appears someone has arrived to help him."

"Who?" The Millennium Rod owner asked. The woman stared back at him, silent to answer. He narrowed his eyes, interpreting what she didn't want to tell him. "I see…"

The Millennium Ring holder began to meld with the shadows, alerting his companions. "I have my own things to do," was his response before vanishing. The two beings glanced at each other and then disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

The morning came and went, the afternoon weather turned hot, the scorching desert seemed hazy to Yugi's eyes as he headed to his tent. He went inside it, collapsing to his makeshift bad and shutting his eyes completely. Yugi wanted to be alone and it caused great concern to his friends.

Joey walked into the tent, hoping he could cheer Yugi up. He found him lying on his back; Yugi noticed Joey and turned to rest on his left side.

"Go away." Yugi whimpered, already starting to close his eyes.

"Yugi…" Joey said sadly. He strode to Yugi's bed and attempted to flip him on his back. Joey placed his hands on Yugi's sides, trying to pull him and he realized how hard the task was.

_Yeesh, for a little guy, Yugi sure has a strong hold,_ Joey thought. He grinned mischievously, removing his hands away from Yugi and instead, tickled him.

Yugi squirmed about in his bed, he couldn't even suppress the laughter built inside him. "Joey… Stop! I'm going to die from laughing!"

Joey moved his hands away as Yugi sat upright on his bed. "You looked depress, so I thought tickling would help."

"I know." Yugi said. "Is there something you need to tell me?"

Joey sat on a chair, resting his chest on its back. "Although the Beasts of Chaos destroyed the tomb, you shouldn't let that hurt you," Joey began. "We've been through tough situations before and we'll pull through this one. We just need faith."

"Or a sudden miracle." Yugi remarked. Joey stared at him strangely, and Yugi turned around to see a huge shadow approaching them.

They both jumped to the ground as a figure crashed into the tent. Everyone heard the sound and rushed over to Yugi's tent. To their amazement, they found Sephora lying on top of Yugi and Joey.

"It's nice to see you, but get off me!" Joey yelled. He unfortunately was the one on the bottom.

"You two were my soft landing." Sephora said, stepping off them. She brushed sand off her robes as Yugi and Joey stood up.

"Did you lose your eyesight or somethin' while you were flying?" Joey asked.

Sephora's face turned pale. "You see, the sun was in my eyes and I couldn't find where to land, so this is what happened." She explained nervously. Sephora quickly glanced at Téa, and shrugged.

"What's wrong?" Téa queried.

"Nothing." Sephora mumbled. "I've barely been home, that I almost forgot about you. I need to spend less time with May and the others in the Pokemon World."

"What brings you here?" Horus questioned profusely.

"Well, I came to check on you all." Sephora answered. She noticed how sad Yugi looked; there was a reason she came, but she wasn't sure if she arrived at an inopportune time.

Yugi raised an eyebrow, wondering what Sephora was thinking. He realized she kept staring at both Joey and Kaiba the whole time and she definitely had something in mind for them. "Sephora," Yugi said. Sephora smiled happily to him. "Do you know any information about the Beasts of Chaos?"

"Don't tell me the tomb in Egypt is destroyed." Sephora replied.

"How do you know about that?"

"Yukai told me, that is before he vanished." Sephora answered. She headed out of the tent, scanning the camping area and she made her way to the top of a dune, which faced the direction of the tomb. Her eyes widened once she saw what became of it.

Yugi and the others watched on, bewildered by her expression. Sephora came down the dune, shocked to see that the news was true. She confronted Ryou, sensing he kept what was inside the tomb.

Ryou leaned back, almost falling to the ground. "What do you want?" he said feebly.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Sephora promised, keeping her hands behind her back in an attempt to appear harmless. "I just wanted to know if the scrolls are safe."

"They are."

"Perfect." Sephora responded contentedly. "I have a certain mission that only Joey and Kaiba can do."

Joey stood frozen as Kaiba turned away. Yugi and his friends thought Sephora had to be kidding, but she was serious. Out of all the people she could have picked, Sephora had chosen Joey and Kaiba instead. Horus knew what she was up to and didn't comment at all.

"Listen, I'm not working with rich boy!" Joey protested.

"Use someone else to do the task for you." Kaiba bickered.

Sephora smirked. "Where there is always Light, Darkness follows."

"I don't understand." Yugi said. He looked at Atem as the Pharaoh shook his head.

"It means darkness plagues every world, the battle of good versus evil continues throughout the centuries to no end," Horus stated. "Light is always by our side but also Darkness resides in us all. Neither will never cease until one of them wins the war."

"Like now." Yugi agreed. "Sephora, is there another world the Beasts of Chaos are liable to attack?"

"Elysium, it used to be part of the Underworld before it became separated." Sephora said. "Sorcerers have told tales that a priestess used her magic to divide the worlds so they could live peacefully, away from the demons. There's also a high concentration of spiritual energy now with the spirits having taken residence, and they come and go as they please."

"Is that where we are going?" Kaiba inquired.

"Yes," Sephora replied. "You and Joey will take the scrolls and find the other tomb linked to it."

"You mean there's anotha'?" Joey shouted. Sephora nodded to him. "But I'm not going with him!" He still refused to be accompanied by Kaiba despite Sephora's request.

Sephora faced Joey and Kaiba, her expression had changed to a more stricter appearance. "I see, the world's top duelists are too chicken to go," she sneered. "I may as well send Yugi while the Beasts of Chaos decide to attack the Mortal World, and then you two will really regret it. Repetitively speaking, the both of you are _bonkotsus_."

"Who are you calling weak?" Kaiba immediately felt the need to lash out at her. "Don't compare me to the mutt, I'm much more stronger than him!"

"I'm not a _bonkotsu_!" Joey yelled, anger building in his voice.

They noticed Sephora smirking at them. Sephora expected them to resist and she had no choice but to insult them. Now she had to snare them into her trap. "Well, if you two aren't _bonkostus_…" Sephora mused. "Are you willing to accept my challenge?"

"What are your requirements?" Kaiba demanded.

"Simple, work together to find the remaining pieces of history that these scrolls do not contain." Sephora explained. She grabbed Ryou's bag lying on the ground, searched through and took the scrolls. A map materialized in her hands and she gave them to Kaiba and Joey. "Do you accept the proposal?"

"We'll go if you just stop tryin' to convince us." Joey said. "But…" He opened the map to see it depicted the world of Elysium. "Where are we to start?"

"Ask those around you," Sephora replied. "If you ask for Khepri, she may help you on your journey."

Suddenly a warp tunnel appeared, signaling that Kaiba and Joey can enter. Sephora urged them to jump in, but the two duelists had more to question. Without warning, Sephora pushed them in as the vortex closed on its own.

Horus stood wide-eyed at her, his eyes twitched irritably. "Sephora…" he mumbled.

"What?"

"You should have not activated the warp tunnel anywhere near the tomb…" As Horus spoke, the wind picked up, blowing sand around them.

"It's a sandstorm, but how?" Ryou yelled.

Everyone shielded their eyes as Horus said, "The warp tunnel has so much magical properties, that it can never be used anywhere near a source that emanates powerful magic."

"How are we supposed to get out of the sandstorm?" Yugi shouted. The sand pelted heavily as he tried his best to not get pushed down. He was unable to see his friends, and his eyes spotted a strange light in the distance.

"HORUS!" Yugi heard Selene's voice.

The light grew stronger, as Yugi felt a warm glow around his body. He kept his eyes half-shut to see that Selene and Horus were together, the sandstorm was being repelled by a powerful barrier they created. Everything began to calm down; Yugi fell to the sand, nearly exhausted by the sudden change in weather. He found his friends lying on the sand, just as tired as he was.

Yugi quickly stood up and looked at the surroundings. He noticed a certain sand pile nearby which began to move. Yugi was taken aback as Sephora emerged from the sand, coughing debris.

"Are you all right?" Yugi asked.

"I'm fine." Sephora answered, shaking off sand from her hair. "I've been through worse years ago when Yukai, our friends and I fought against Neptune's guard in his castle. Try preventing yourself from being frozen alive in a blizzard attack."

Bakura opened his eyes and glared at Sephora. He got up and ran to her. "You stupid Guardian! You could have killed us!"

"If I hadn't come at the right moment, you would have been buried alive." Selene said as she and Horus walked over to them.

Yugi's friends woke up, realizing the sandstorm subsided. They were relieved to have survived it and at the same time were upset at Sephora. The Guardian simply didn't know that a sandstorm would occur, even Guardians could make mistakes as she put it.

* * *

Meanwhile in an off world area, Joey and Kaiba came out of the warp tunnel, falling on their backs to soft ground. They got on their feet, staring at the beautiful scenery. Lush grass and blooming flowers covered the landscape they were in. The rushing sound of water could be heard in the distance as the environment itself seemed peaceful.

"So, where do we begin?" Joey asked, staring up at the blue sky.

"We need to find someone named Khepri." Kaiba said, starting to walk away.

Joey realized Kaiba had the map and chased after him. "Come back, rich boy! I don't know where to go!"

* * *

Author's Notes: I guess I can consider Joey and Kaiba's adventure as a side-story, and what Sephora called them in Japanese _Bonkotsu _I really don't remember what it meant exactly, for I know it was used by Kaiba to describe Joey in a mean way. Also, if this chapter didn't seem interesting, know that my final exams really have been hard on me mostly the entire , here's the next synopsis:

Joey and Kaiba have embarked on their journey through Elysium, where they will encounter new allies, and their first task: find Khepri. Back on the Mortal World, Yugi and his friends leave Egypt, as getting back will only attract his enemies. This time they're not after him, but there's something behind their motives. On the next _Struggle of Chaos_ - Chapter 11: The Realm of Magic: The Past Returns!


	11. The Realm of Magic: The Past Returns!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, but I do own the original characters.

* * *

Chapter 11: The Realm of Magic: The Past Returns!

The gentle breeze blew about the seemingly serene grassland on which Joey and Kaiba walked upon. The rushing sound of water came from a nearby river they approached, and the whole area seemed desolate. They were unable to find any signs of inhabitants, but they had a feeling that there were people close by.

Joey looked around to see if the map Kaiba had with him were leading them in the right direction. He noticed the river appeared it was flowing downstream which meant there was higher ground level.

"Kaiba, if we follow this river maybe we can find something high enough to see this area." Joey suggested.

Kaiba didn't seem to pay attention to him, he was kept distracted by rustling sounds within the plant life. He stared carefully at the bushes, standing silently, and he made no sudden movements. He then stepped closer to the bushes and stretched out his arm to reveal whatever was spying on them.

"Kaiba, are ya listenin'?" Joey exclaimed to him and he walked over. He realized what Kaiba was doing and he nearly collapsed when Kaiba pulled out a young blue-haired woman. Joey immediately got on his feet and yelled, " What's the big idea sneaking up on us?"

The woman simply glowered at Joey. She struggled within Kaiba's grip, but he let go of her. Her blue eyes glinted in the sunlight as she caught sight of Kaiba's cold gaze. She stood up and began to run away from them.

"Hey, come back!" Joey shouted, chasing her.

Kaiba remained frozen in his position. The woman's face seemed familiar to him, but he wasn't sure where he had seen her. He snapped back into reality and embarked on the run with Joey.

Joey had no idea why the woman ran away from them, there was no need. He was sure that she may have answers, and she could be the only person within the area they were in. He pursued her through the thick forest they were approaching and Joey had to stop. Kaiba reached him before noticing where the woman went into.

"She escaped!" Joey said furiously. Kaiba entered the forest as Joey was left baffled. "Fine, why not go into the forest so we could get lost!" Joey looked around, startled he was all alone, and he ran in the forest to catch up with Kaiba.

The trees loomed high up in the canopy, the sunlight barely shined through if it weren't for the countless branches. Kaiba searched every inch of the forest for the woman. Joey strolled close to him, making sure that they would not get lost. The abrupt sound of leaves moving made Kaiba turn around to discover the source. He found the woman running away from them once more and he gave chase.

Joey followed him, wondering why the woman continued to run from them. She need not worry of them since they only came due to Sephora's request. They were approaching what seemed to be the end of the forest and the woman managed to disappear. The chase was rough on both Kaiba and Joey as they jumped over the large roots of the trees, evading the branches in their way. They emerged out of the forest, and they nearly fell to their deaths by a cliff.

Joey looked down and saw a village just below the cliff. "I guess that woman was just showing us the way."

"Then why did it seem she was running away from us?" Kaiba questioned. "It was like she was afraid of us."

"Perhaps her reason was she thought you two were trespassers." A female voice responded behind them. Joey and Kaiba confronted the owner of the voice, and they were shocked to see this woman was not the one they followed. Her brown eyes glared at them angrily. "How dare you two chase a defenseless person, without even asking them for help." The woman continued.

"And may we ask what is your name?" Joey asked.

The woman smirked. "I'm Fiona." She answered. "Who are you two?" She looked on suspiciously.

"I'm Joey and he's Kaiba." Joey introduced, although Kaiba didn't seem to appreciate him saying his name. "We only came so we could find someone named Khepri."

Fiona gazed at him carefully. "Well, you came to the right village," she said. "Khepri lives here. I'll take you two to her." Fiona began to walk in the other direction, away from the cliff.

Joey and Kaiba followed her as they were led down a pathway near the forest they were in. They walked down the immense cliff and safely reached the village. Fiona urged them to stay close to her as they entered the village. People watched them, they knew Joey and Kaiba were complete strangers, and so they stood back from them. Joey leered at them and continued his way with Kaiba and Fiona.

They came upon a small home which was surrounded by herbs and a woman was watering the plants she was tending to. She caught sight of Fiona with the two duelists as a gold object hanging around her neck glowed to announce their arrival. The woman tucked her item inside her gold-accented black robes.

"Fiona, who are these two?"

Fiona faced the woman and smiled. "They happen to be the famous duelists from the Mortal World. They are Joey and Kaiba," she explained. "The woman you were seeking, this is Khepri."

"What is it that you two have come here for?" Khepri asked. She lay the watering can on the ground and looked at them curiously.

"A Guardian named Sephora told us there was a tomb in this world so she sent us to find out." Kaiba replied.

Joey took out the scrolls he had brought with them. "Sephora believed that the tomb in Egypt matched the one here."

"A Guardian told you all this…?" Khepri questioned in disbelief. "To humans? That is not possible, they rarely communicate with humans, outside the augurs of their temples, since the Final Battle."

"Tell us, why is it you don't believe us?" Kaiba queried.

"Unless I didn't get the news that we are now able to converse with mortals…" Fiona mused.

Joey blinked in confusion. "Wait, you're a Guardian, too!" He shouted in surprise.

"Fiona, Guardian of Commerce." Fiona said. She looked somewhat flustered and huffed. "Oh! You couldn't recognize I was one because I lack the wings, don't I? Well, you try lugging around a pair of those all day and avoid being such a klutz..."

"You really need to get news more quickly." Khepri remarked. Fiona playfully threw a glare at her. "The Guardians back then never grew attached to the humans in the Mortal World, they only spoken to the sorcerers here in Elysium. I believe they must sense some sort of spiritual connection with us."

"Spiritual…? Joey pondered inquisitively. "That could explain why they sought us out back on Earth. The Millennium Guardians realized Kaiba and I were the reincarnations of Ammon the Bronze Phoenix Dragon."

Fiona waved her hand in disagreement. "That sounds like a myth to me," she replied. "If this Phoenix Dragon you speak of is real, where is the proof?"

Joey took out Ammon's card from the pocket of his green jacket. He showed it to her as the Star Seal of Shesmu glowed in the sunlight. Khepri's brown eyes widened once she saw the card. Kaiba noticed how shock Khepri looked and he raised his hand to lower the card to avoid Khepri's stare. Joey watched him because his behavior seemed peculiar.

"What's wrong?" Fiona asked, realizing Kaiba's suspicion. "Khepri?"

Khepri returned her gaze to her. "You must be here to seek out another way to defeat the Beasts of Chaos, I presume?"

"How did -?" Joey's sentence was stopped by Khepri.

Khepri began to head straight for a temple in the distance. "Come with me. There is much we have to talk about."

Fiona followed her, and she turned around to see if Joey and Kaiba complied to go with them. Kaiba ambled pass Joey as Joey stepped aside. He stared at the temple high up in the hilltop, hoping this was the tomb Sephora spoke of. Without any further questioning, Joey trailed after Kaiba and Fiona as they made their way to their destination.

* * *

Meanwhile, Yugi and his friends bid Ryou, Bakura, Marik, Ishizu and Odion their farewells as they returned back home. The warp tunnel closed once they leaped in, this time Horus and Selene made sure Sephora didn't choose the way of transportation since her last little mishap.

The portal that Horus and Selene created led them back to the Guardians' home, and they knew exactly where to place the exit tunnel so they would not fall into a pile of snow. They safely got through to the other side and landed on soft ground where the snow had melted.

The chill in the air brought back the cold feeling to everyone despite returning from a warm climate such as Egypt's. The night shadows transpired above Yugi's face and he stood back in fear of them. The dark feeling the shadows held made him tense, even though these inanimate presences could not harm him.

"Yugi," He heard Téa speak to him. She walked over to him, helping him to stand.

"Thanks, Téa." Yugi replied to her. He gazed up at the starry night; the wind blew, shivering him.

Téa looked at the shadows carefully, she didn't want whatever it was that tried to kill her finish the task it did not complete. She faced the direction of a huge, scary-looking building sticking from out the trees.

Sephora came over to them, knowing how frightened Téa seemed to act staring at the building. The Guardian remembered how her siblings reacted to it, it held memories that were best left forgotten to them, especially when they were growing up. "The old asylum." Sephora muttered resentfully.

"It's creepy." Téa commented.

"You would be more afraid of it if you were here a decade ago." Sephora said.

"What do you mean?" Yugi questioned.

Sephora sighed to herself. She hoped they would never ask, but the truth needed to break out somehow. "Before Yukai and I met the Guardians, we never knew much about the asylum, although I heard Pluto's mother from this era was a patient in that dreaded place."

"Was she insane?" Téa asked.

"To put it, yes," Sephora answered. "Strangely around the same time when the Guardians were reforming slowly. Both Mercury and Pluto were hurt the most when she… died… They said she committed suicide, but it didn't seem that way to either of the two siblings. It was like their mother only killed herself so she could escape what her sons had become."

"Does Kiki know about this?" Téa inquired.

"She does, but she was only six when her mother passed away." Sephora continued. "Their good-for-nothing father didn't care about his wife and I don't understand why he quit being leader of the Trinity after she died. That's when he started to abuse his own offspring." She departed from them as Yugi and Téa looked back at the abandoned asylum.

Yugi noticed Téa's sorrowful appearance. He wondered if there was any connection from the past to the present because he began to understand why Pluto wanted to eliminate all of humanity. Probably even the reason why he came after the Millennium Puzzle, although the Guardian had other intentions to use it to revive the Galactic Dragon.

"Maybe we should head inside." Yugi suggested to Téa. She nodded to him as they both went inside.

Someone hidden in the shadows was watching them, the Millennium Ring glowed softly beside his chest. He slowly drifted into the darkness and traveled all the way to the deserted asylum. He reappeared from the shadows and stared at the dreaded building that had haunted him for years. He had hoped he would never return after it was shut down due to unknown reasons.

"This forsaken place…" he began, "brings nothing but pain to me, and yet why can't I forget about it? The past is nothing to me… Nothing… but a forgotten memory…"

One of his mysterious companions sat on top of a tree branch, diverting him while admiring what he was saying. "You may want to forget the past, but I don't. It is a curse for me to even remember it." She said softly. "Then again…" She arose from her hiding place. "The past is simply our regrets…"

* * *

Author's Notes: I did mention about the old asylum way back in _Dark Crisis, _although I never said what it represented to the Guardians at all. Merely a horrible memory. Well, here's the next synopsis:

Although most of the Guardians would like to forget the past, the very scars they hold is buried deep within, so it causes them great concern. Joey and Kaiba soon discover that what they are after, they need to go back to the past, during the time when demons plagued throughout Elysium. What new secrets could the past hold for them? On the next _Struggle of Chaos_: The Search for the Soul Sphere: Unlock the Hidden Neo Guardian!


	12. The Search for the Soul Sphere: Unlock t...

Author's Notes: Here's another flashback scene that was taken from Episode 214: The White Dragon, but I altered a part of it to fit the idea of this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh but I do own my original characters.

* * *

Chapter 12: The Search for the Soul Sphere: Unlock the Hidden Neo Guardian!

_The dark clouds above the sky shielded light from entering. A huge white dragon levitated in the air, its roars echoing loudly. Two people dressed in royal robes stood on the ground, shocked by the previous events that just took place._

_Seto and Atem were in a battle for control of power, but it was all Akunadin's doing; he merely wanted his son to become pharaoh. Though Seto refused to disobey Atem and denied that his real father had perished long ago, Akunadin took control of him, and even killed Kisara to obtain her Ka, a white dragon._

_A winged figure flew overhead, wondering what was going on. Artemis searched around for Atem, worried if he had been killed by the blast nearby. She located the Pharaoh, and didn't expect Seto to be with him._

_Atem sensed her presence and waved his hands up high. "Artemis!"_

_Atem's servant saw him and landed on the ground with him. "Atem, you're all right!" Artemis said joyously. She realized the white dragon above Seto and Kisara lying dead beside him. "What happened?"_

_Atem stared sadly at his cousin. He and Artemis watched Seto carry Kisara's limp form to the tablet that resembled the white dragon. Seto kneeled down on his knees, holding onto Kisara, and tears streamed from his eyes._

"_Kisara," Seto said mournfully. "Your sacrifice was not done in vain… You saved me from the darkness…"_

"_Whatever evil force that possessed Akunadin is still out there," Atem replied as he approached Seto. "The battle is just beginning."_

_Seto laid Kisara by the tablet, his hands quickly formed into fists from anger. "Let's go." He turned back to face Kisara. "I hope we will meet again…"_

* * *

The temple atop the hill stood majestically as the sun's rays created an ethereal glow shrouding it. The intricate glass windows illuminated in the rays, bells hung around every corner as the subtle wind made them gently ring. The wooden carvings surrounding the temple were meant to ward off evil spirits that might attempt to enter its sacred ground.

Khepri waited for Kaiba and Joey as she already reached the temple, raising her hand in the air to cover her eyes from the sun. She listened to the soft ringing of the bells, shifting her gaze to the pair of doors leading to the inside of the temple.

Joey, Kaiba and Fiona finally arrived as Khepri headed inside. The two duelists sensed a portentous aura surrounding the temple, like some type of magic was protecting it. They didn't know if Khepri was leading them into a trap because the feeling of dread grew stronger.

"Aren't you two coming in?" Fiona asked, standing by the opened doorway.

"We'd like to go in, but are you sure it's safe?" Joey questioned.

"This temple does have a dark history," Fiona began, "It has survived for countless centuries, as long as the Guardians have reigned, and when demons once dwelled in this world. It is considered a memorial to the sorceress who lived within this village eons ago."

"Eons…?" Joey said bemused.

"All will be explained if you don't come in." Fiona pulled Joey and Kaiba inside and the doors closed.

The torchlight was their only source of light as Fiona walked down the corridor. Joey and Kaiba had no choice but to follow her, the sense of impending doom remained within them as though they were being led to their deaths. They continued strolling inside the corridor and a light at the end was becoming stronger.

"Kaiba, do you think we can trust them?" Joey whispered to him.

Kaiba took a few moments to respond. "Wheeler, we need answers, and Sephora will pester us if we don't find the information on the scrolls." He watched Fiona carefully just in case she wasn't leading them to a trap.

The three got out of the corridor and discovered a shrine in the middle of a chamber. Vines covered it as if it were hiding something. The flames cracked in the torches, illuminating two figures standing in front of the ancient stone shrine. One of them was Khepri, but the other one made Kaiba's eyes widen.

"You!" Kaiba spat, the blue-haired woman turned around. He sauntered over to her, clutching his fists with rage. "You nearly killed us!"

The woman smirked, her blue eyes glinting in the torchlight. "I guess you don't remember me, do you, Seto?"

Kaiba stood back from her. "How do you know my name?"

"Fiona, are you confused as I am?" Joey inquired.

"I'm lost too…" Fiona said. "She's just an ordinary apprentice to Khepri."

Khepri approached Kaiba slowly. "Your memory from your past life probably has not fully returned," she replied. "Denying your ancient rite is inevitable, and I'm surprised the High Priest does not remember the keeper of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

"What are you talking about?" Kaiba yelled. His mind wandered back to the time he was transparent to Ancient Egypt thanks to the Millennium tablet.

"My name is Kisara." The woman introduced.

"You're that woman from Atem's Memory World!" Joey called out. "I saw you askin' if we knew where Priest Seto was."

Kisara nodded inquisitively and placed her hands beside her waist. "You don't remember your past life?" She was addressing Joey this time.

"Huh?" Joey said puzzlingly. He scratched his forehead in confusion. "I don't understand."

Kaiba's eyes quivered nervously. He recalled the ghostly woman he saw back in Egypt, she looked similar to Kisara for some reason. Kaiba even remembered what the woman said to him. She spoke of him and someone named Jouno, though who could that be was unknown to Kaiba.

Kaiba directed his gaze towards Joey, finally figuring it out. "You're Jouno!"

"I'm who?" Joey exclaimed, jumping slightly in surprise.

"Okay…" Fiona remarked tensely. She walked over to Khepri who was overlooking the shrine. "What's going on?"

"Joey is the reincarnation of Jouno," Khepri explained. "He was one of Pharaoh Atem's bodyguards and loyal friend from 3,000 years ago."

"And Seto is the reincarnation of the High Priest himself," Kisara continued. "Also the cousin of Pharaoh Atem to throw that in there."

"Sure, and I'm the reincarnation of the Guardian of Commerce." Fiona jeered. The others stared at her baffled. "Of course I am that Guardian! I was merely joking. But didn't Kaiba and Joey say that they were the very reincarnations of Ammon the Bronze Phoenix Dragon?"

"I'll explain later, but right now we have more important things to do." Khepri interrupted. She glanced over to the shrine as the others watched. "The Beasts of Chaos were once embodiments of good, but they turned evil to serve the Galactic Dragon and defied the Phoenix Dragons. There is another option to reveal their true forms." Khepri closed her eyes as the shrine glowed. "Something within this place is blocking anyone from crossing through time, and I believe only one of you can unlock what is sealing time travel."

Joey stared in disbelief. "And we're supposed to believe this? Tell us what you're plannin'!"

"If the seal shrouding the shrine is broken, you and Kaiba will be able to go back before the creation of Elysium." Khepri explained. "The Soul Sphere is your last hope to stop the Beasts of Chaos."

"Doesn't Luna have it?" Joey mused.

"Luna?" Fiona inquired.

"That's Artemis' dark half, kinda like Atem is to Yugi." Joey replied.

"Wait, wait, you mean Princess Artemis?" Fiona asked, giving him a confused look.

Joey groaned in irritation. "Ah, 'princess'? Never heard of that part."

"Fiona, explain in your point of view so Joey will understand." Kisara suggested.

"Well, we Guardians are actually ruled by three sovereigns, one of them being Princess Artemis," Fiona said, placing a finger on her chin. "I'll leave you to guess who are the other two, but to my knowledge she never possessed an item called the Soul Sphere."

Joey and Kaiba exchanged glances. They had a feeling the remaining two sovereigns had to be Yukai and Pluto.

"So?" Kisara snapped them both back to reality.

"You want to know if one of us can break whatever is binding this power?" Kaiba pondered.

"Unless some demonic force is behind it." Fiona said.

"It definitely is not," Khepri responded. "The sorcerers have tried countless spells on the shrine, but this seems to be the work of ancient magic, Millennium magic."

"It could be possible that one of the Guardians could have placed some sort of enchantment on it." Kisara replied.

"Or it could very much be a Guardian sealed within." Kaiba said, sensing an odd energy permeating around them. He walked towards the shrine, placing his hand on the vines. Something pulsated once he touched it as if reacting to him.

Joey remembered when Tyche took him to the hidden chamber in the Temple of the Sun's shadow world. There were seven tablets inside it, but he was sure only one was blank while he was there. The possibility a Neo Guardian sealed within the shrine seemed strange because Tyche protected them.

"Kaiba!" Joey exclaimed. Kaiba looked straight at him. "Are you sure a Guardian could have done this?"

Fiona suddenly shuddered. "Joey, it is a Guardian, but this one… I have never felt this power before."

_Then it's a Neo Guardian,_ Kaiba thought. _Clever, one of them must be protecting the shrine from evil, but now… I sense as though it has awaited for my arrival for a long time._

Kaiba remained frozen in his position, his body had become immobilized from the surging power of the Guardian in the shrine. Kisara looked on worriedly at Kaiba, he had not moved for nearly several minutes. The shrine's glow intensified as the vines around it sided apart, unveiling an image of a winged being.

"Another Neo Guardian!" Joey cried out, bewildered by the appearance of the shrine.

Kaiba felt his entire body could move and he saw the depicted carving beside him. The stone tablet seemed to be blocking a doorway underground. Kaiba stood in front of the tablet and reached out his hand to touch the stone. The light became stronger and the carving vanished from its place. A card materialized in Kaiba's hand and everything returned back to normal.

Kaiba glanced at the card, reading the name on it. "Shu, Guardian Servant of Skyros."

Khepri gasped the moment he spoke the name Skyros. It triggered a sudden spark in her subconscious mind, a memory that was best left forgotten. She turned away from Kaiba, feeling a warm glow around her neck. The gold locket she kept was probably telling her something, yet it was unclear.

"Khepri?" Kisara responded.

"What is it?"

"Do you think it's time for Joey and Seto to depart?"

Khepri stared at the shrine, noticing that the tablet was gone, and a doorway appeared. "The fate of the universe lies in the hands of the reincarnates of the Phoenix Dragons, no Guardian can defeat the Beasts of Chaos alone." Khepri replied, averting everyone's gazes. "Joey, Kaiba, it is time to go back to the past." She directed them to the doorway in the shrine.

Joey, Kaiba, Kisara and Fiona followed her down the steps. Kaiba stared carefully at the card with the image of his newly-given Neo Guardian. Three were unlocked, four more were needed to be freed from their ancient prison, and who were destined to control them was unknown. Khepri took them to a small chamber with an unusual circle in the middle.

Joey quickly took out Ammon's card with an almost similar circle on it. The one in the middle portrayed the moon on it, exactly like the one binding Ra. Joey narrowed his eyes to get a better view. "No way…" he whispered.

"If you're thinking that this magic circle is of the Galactic Dragon's origin, you are correct." Khepri said, walking over to the right side. "Rely on it because on your ventures you will encounter such magic."

"This looks like you'll be sacrificin' us to that monster instead!" Joey hollered.

Kisara smirked. "The sorcerers have managed to manipulate the seals. They turned the magic to better suit them, and today they continue to use the good magic their ancestors have altered. No harm will come to you, we promise."

"Are you two prepared to go or what?" Fiona asked impatiently. She crossed her arms with frustration.

"She's right. Time will run out if you do not find the Soul Sphere." Khepri warned.

"How do we know where to find the Soul Sphere?" Kaiba questioned.

"The era you will enter took place millions of years ago, before Elysium was even created," Khepri explained. "A sorceress in this village was in possession of the Soul Sphere, but beware," Her eyes narrowed cautiously. "Demons were after the item, and one in particular will probably give you a hard time. Do not worry about him, he was once the sorceress' lover, and he may remind you of someone."

The shrine reacted once Joey and Kaiba approached it as the circle glowed in a blue light. The air around them became distorted, and Joey and Kaiba unwillingly had not entered. They were still wary of the idea, but they felt someone push them in. They both turned around before they collapsed on the circle. They realized it was Kisara's doing, and she smiled happily to them.

"Hey, I didn't volunteer for this!" Joey yelled out, banging his hands on the barrier that had formed.

"Wheeler, we can't get out." Kaiba said. He looked back at Kisara, and then everything around them began to disappear.

Joey panicked, he couldn't calm down, though Kaiba seemed tranquil with the vortex that formed. All around them they saw time passing backwards, century after century had rewind itself as Joey and Kaiba felt themselves being lifted into the air. They were falling rapidly through the time tunnel, and they dropped to the bottom with a thud.

Slowly Joey and Kaiba opened their eyes, clearing their vision to see where they were. They were in the same chamber, but torches surrounded the circle they were in. Both got out and searched around for any signs of life.

"Are we really in the past?" Joey queried.

Kaiba realized that they were not alone. He climbed the steps leading back to the upper layer, leaving Joey behind. Joey followed him, and they soon discovered someone familiar.

Her blue eyes shined astonishingly at them as she swiftly grabbed her bow around her arm and took out an arrow from her quiver. She aimed her arrow directly at them. "Who are you? And why have you trespassed this sacred place?"

* * *

Author's Notes: Gee, I wonder who can that be? Of course, I'm not revealing who it is, yet. Here's the next chapter synopsis:

The Keepers of the Beasts of Chaos have lost their patience, and now they're doing things their own way. Each of the three have premeditated the next of their attacks, but this time they've gone solo. One has his eyes set upon Yugi's friends in Domino, and without him there protecting them, what does he intend to do? On the next _Struggle of Chaos _- Chapter 13: Defenseless Friends! The Murder Plot


	13. Defenseless Friends! The Murder Plot

Chapter 13: Defenseless Friends! The Murder Plot

The sun in the sky began its descent towards the horizon, announcing the arrival of the evening in Domino City. Stars shined brightly above, each twinkling as the sun's rays disappeared. The clouds loomed over the city, clawing its way like a ravenous beast. Wisps of shadows transpired around the city as light vanished without a trace.

These shadows were not normal. A strong force was at work, controlling the shadows and bizarre changes in the sky. Lightning flashed as if it were a sign of a thunderstorm, yet no rain fell.

Four people walked down the sidewalk after coming back from watching a movie. They were now headed to their homes, though one of them noticed the strange occurrences in the atmosphere.

He took off his glasses and cleaned the lenses using his shirt. He put them back on to get a better view of the sky. "That's odd."

"What is, Hanasaki?" A red-haired girl asked. She glanced over to her other two companions.

"Look up there." Hanasaki pointed upwards.

"Must be rain." Miho stated.

"But those clouds don't seem right." Tristan replied. He shuddered once he felt a cold chill go down his spine.

"We probably shouldn't split up then." Serenity suggested. "Those clouds look exactly like the ones from a month ago Joey told me about. I hope he's okay."

"I'm sure he is." Tristan assured. "The only reason you came here was because you didn't want me to feel abandoned by Joey and the others in New York."

"Have you heard news of Téa?" Miho queried.

Serenity nodded. "Yes. She did call me because she said she was in New York too. Téa said something almost killed her in Adelaide so she went back with Yugi."

"And what about Nick?" Tristan questioned.

"He's still in Adelaide with two of the Guardians." Serenity answered. "Nick and Téa have become engaged, but with all that was going on, they had to wait longer to get married."

They continued walking as they spoke about the events of the previous month. A lone being followed them within the darkness, glowing red eyes appeared through the thick shadows. His Millennium Rod glinted as the being moved on.

"Theses mortals are the dear friends of Ra," the being said. "Putting them in danger will lure him out, then I can unleash my wrath."

The four friends came upon the block where Tristan's home was. Tristan gazed over his shoulder, wondering if someone followed them. Serenity did not feel right leaving him alone, and instead confronted him.

"Are you sure you will be alright?" Serenity asked him.

"I'll be fine, so go stay with Miho." Tristan replied. He then turned around, heading to his apartment building. "Bye." Tristan waved to them and went on his way.

"Something has to be bothering him." Hanasaki said. "Are you sure he still likes you, Miho?"

Miho turned red by his remark. "I did dump him in high school but I doubt that's it."

Both Miho and Hanasaki resumed walking as Serenity stood by herself. She did know Tristan had to be lying to them because he wasn't likely to keep secrets. The way he acted seemed peculiar, and Serenity wanted to know why.

"Serenity!" Miho called. She and Hanasaki stopped midway before noticing Serenity wasn't with them.

Serenity took another look down Tristan's block and then ran to catch up with Miho and Hanasaki. She couldn't bear leaving Tristan by himself, especially when the weather looked unusual. Serenity sensed that there was a connection to the attack in Domino a month ago and the sudden appearance of the dark clouds. She, Miho and Hanasaki continued their way to their homes.

* * *

Meanwhile Tristan opened the door to his apartment and immediately stepped in, slamming it. He reached out his hand for the light switch, seeing how dark his apartment was. He flicked the switch on but nothing happened.

"Great. Did I forget to pay the electric bill?" Tristan complained. He cautiously walked over to the side table beside the door, opened it, and found a flashlight. Tristan turned it on and went straight into his living room. "I thought I…"

Tristan noticed the window by the door was left ajar. He remembered he had closed it earlier before he met up with his friends. The wind blew the curtains, bringing a chill in the air. Tristan walked over and shut the window.

"There is no way someone could have entered. Nothing's been taken." Tristan mused, dismissing that a burglar broke in. "Probably must have been the wind."

Suddenly Tristan heard a thud coming from behind him. He turned around to find that nothing was there. He warily searched the whole room, his hands were shaking with fear. Maybe he was wrong. Someone was inside his apartment.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway, causing Tristan to point his flashlight there. The shadows disappeared, but the trace of the footsteps was unknown.

"What's going on?" Tristan asked fearfully, the shadows began surrounding him. A man's laughter filled the room, tormenting Tristan as he shook his head in every direction. "Show yourself! Where are you!"

"The shadows conceal my form," the voice answered. "Your weak source of light won't protect you from me! Only Ra's light can stop me, and with his power gone I am free to do my task."

Tristan watched as his apartment became shrouded in darkness. There was no place to run or hide, he was trapped. The flashlight turned off as Tristan dropped it. The cold air made him shiver, sensing someone was near him.

The shadows formed together, a dark being appeared within it. The Millennium Rod glinted in Tristan's eyes, giving him the chance to see the being's identity.

"You!" Tristan yelled in disbelief.

The man snickered, revealing the knife hidden in the Millennium Rod. He grinned evilly towards his victim. "I am going to enjoy this. I would slay you with my other weapon but I rather not stain it with mortal blood."

"But why?" Tristan questioned feebly as the man grabbed him by the throat.

"Nothing personal but I want that runt out of our way to accomplish the goal we wish to fulfill." The man explained.

"There are others involved?" Tristan shouted, beginning to run out of air.

"So long, mortal." With that, the being raised the knife in the air and plunged it into Tristan's heart.

Blood spilled onto both of them as Tristan's screams reverberated in the room. The man's maniacal laughter was the last voice for Tristan to hear as everything he saw turned black. His lifeless corpse fell limp and the being tossed Tristan carelessly to the floor.

The shadows drifted apart from them and vanished. A pool of blood poured from Tristan's dead body, his pupil less eyes remained open. The man stared at Tristan's blood dripping on the tip of the knife, smirking maliciously at his victim.

He reattached the removed piece of the Millennium Rod, sheathing the knife from sight. The man walked towards the window, peering over the curtain to see if anyone heard the commotion.

"Too bad no one will ever speak to you again." The man said. "You're a vague shadow among your friends and you will forever be in it." He slowly melded into the darkness, abandoning Tristan's body.

* * *

Morning dawned the next day, but the dark clouds still covered the sky. During the night, the clouds further formed around Japan, causing concern to people.

Serenity stayed over at Miho's apartment, and she was the first to get up. She dressed out of her nightgown and got into her usual clothes. With all the movement she was creating, it awoken Miho in the process.

Miho came out of her room and went into her living room. She found Serenity using the phone. Her sleepy eyes blinked in confusion. "Who are you calling?" Miho asked.

"Tristan, but he's not answering." Serenity replied worriedly. She put the phone back on the receiver. "I'm scared something happened to him. He isn't working today."

"I'll call Hanasaki while you go over to Tristan's." Miho said. "Tristan is probably sleeping late."

"Maybe." Serenity complied. "I'll go. I hope he's okay." Serenity strolled to the door and left the apartment. Miho stood for a few moments and then went to the phone to call Hanasaki.

Serenity ran down the sidewalk to reach Tristan's block. She passed by crowds of people who got in her way. She suddenly stopped in her tracks, noticing that the dark clouds were still surrounding the city. Serenity proceeded to the block, gazing at the ominous sky with fear of Tristan's safety.

She finally arrived at the apartment complex when lightning started to flash. Serenity, in her haste, climbed the steps to reach the level Tristan's apartment was. Realizing that when she came upon the place, the door was unlocked. She was tempted to go in but feared what lied beyond the doorway.

"Tristan!" Serenity yelled out, barging into the apartment. The room was eerily dark, the lights were still off, and she headed into the living room.

Serenity discovered something on the floor. What seemed to be a paint spill was really blood. Her eyes widened once she saw Tristan's lifeless body, his chest appeared as if it was severed by a sharp object.

She screamed loudly enough for the neighbors to hear, and Miho and Hanasaki were standing in front of the door with equally shocked looks. The horrific sight startled them and they immediately called the police.

* * *

The solemn, quiet night in the New York suburb was the only thing Yugi could look forward to. He sat in the dining room, watching the stars twinkle brightly. The moon ascended high, shining beautifully above the sky.

The sound of the telephone ringing broke Yugi out of his trance-like state. He got off the chair he placed beside the window and ambled to the living room. Yugi realized Sephora answered the phone, but the expression on her face distressed him.

Sephora hung up and stared sadly at Yugi. "You won't believe what happened…" she said.

"What?" Yugi inquired.

"It's best if your friends heard too." Sephora suggested, as Téa, Rebecca, Atem and Hathor entered the room to hear the commotion. "How can I put this… Your friend Tristan is dead…"

"No!" Yugi shouted. The news crushed him deeply, probably it would have hurt Joey more since he had been friends longer with Tristan. "How did this happen?"

"Who told you?" Téa asked.

"Someone named Serenity," Sephora answered. "She… found Tristan dead. Someone must have murdered him during the night. The police are investigating, but they haven't located the murder weapon or any clues. It's like some ghost came in and killed him."

"I don't like this." Atem said.

"Neither do I." Téa agreed. "I can't believe Serenity was the first to see him like that… Poor girl…"

"Who would want him dead?" Rebecca questioned. "It's not like he had enemies."

"Or because he is the friend of Yugi." Selene continued as she and Horus came into the room. "Your foes are probably trying to draw you out. Without Joey and Kaiba to help, you are defenseless against the Beasts of Chaos."

"Hmm… Maybe, if there are any Guardians in the vicinity they could protect your friends in Domino if you wish." Sephora said.

"I rather go back." Yugi replied. His hands slowly formed into fists, already feeling both angry and frightened at the sudden event.

Sephora looked at him strangely. "Are you nuts? You heard Selene, the Beasts of Chaos are trapping you with their bait! It's got to be them who killed Tristan!"

"If so, I don't want to endanger my friends' lives!" He protested, slamming his fist on the wall.

"Yugi!" Atem snapped. He was totally surprised to see the display of brute force. This wasn't like Yugi at all. "Is this a wise decision to make? You're taking drastic action."

"They want me…" Yugi growled. "They want me dead, they're not going to stop! I will not let them murder my friends and I don't care what you all think!"

"Fine." Horus said suddenly.

"Horus!" Selene yelled, her eyes widening at him. "Have you gone mad? This is exactly what they want! It's like sacrificing Yugi to death itself."

Horus remained silent. He walked over to Yugi and replied, "We must obey Ra's wishes. It is his desire to go, and we cannot deny any of them. We have sworn loyalty under Ra."

Selene's eyes began to water. "If you must…" She strolled to Horus' side and took his hands. "Please be careful."

Horus nodded to her. "I will assure that we will not come to any harm."

"I'm coming." Téa decided.

"You sure?" Yugi queried.

"Yes." Téa came over to them as Horus concentrated his powers to create a warp tunnel.

Their surroundings changed, as Yugi watched Atem who was deeply sadden by his departure. An ill-thought crossed his mind about him, though he couldn't worry about Atem now. His friends in Domino needed him.

Buildings began appearing as the portal they were in brought them back home. Luckily they arrived in an alleyway where no one would see them. Yugi instantly rushed over to find Tristan's block as Horus and Téa followed him. The dark sky rumbled as lightning cracked above.

* * *

At the same time, Serenity, Miho and Hanasaki were outside the apartment while the police continued their investigation. They were overlooking the heavily darkened atmosphere. Lightning started to boom, but each time it flashed seemed to sound like roars. No rain fell, and instead a red dragon-like creature appeared through the clouds, the shrill snarls coming from it.

"Since when did the sky ever turn red like that?" Hanasaki said.

"Do your glasses need to be checked? There is no way the sky is..." Miho stuttered, noticing what he meant. "What is that?"

Serenity looked up and she was surprised by the beast in the sky. It seemed to match the description of the one Joey mentioned to her. She gazed down and noticed Yugi running towards the building. "Yugi!" Serenity waved to him.

"Serenity, Miho, Hanasaki! Are you three okay?" Yugi yelled to them from down below. He realized Téa and Horus caught up with him.

"We're fine, but what's going on?" Serenity inquired. She pointed directly at the monster in the sky.

Yugi knew exactly who the creature was, it was none other than Anhur. This time the dragon was all alone, and no signs of Sekhmet and Shesmu was seen. "Guys, stay up there! It's too dangerous to be here!" Yugi advised them.

Anhur peered down and saw Yugi along with Téa and Horus. He flapped his long wings, his roars echoing loudly for all to hear. Anhur flew down to the ground, landing in front of Yugi and his eyes laid upon him fiercely. The dragon glared at Horus, baring his sharp fangs threateningly.

"What do you want?" Yugi demanded. Anhur simply stood there, no response came. Yugi grew impatient of the dragon's silence and decided to ask again. "Why are you here? Where are Sekhmet and Shesmu?"

Anhur responded to what sounded like laughter to Yugi. _"Ra,"_ he spoke in a gruff-sounding voice. Yugi stood away from Anhur, surprised he could talk. _"Your persistent interference has gone on long enough. It's time for you to perish!"_

"First tell me why you killed my friend!" Yugi spat angrily.

_"I needed to lure you out into the open so we could talk."_ Anhur explained, spiked tail swishing behind him. _"Now, if you don't want any more of your pathetic mortal friends dead I suggest you cease protecting them! Mortals are weak, worthless creatures! They don't deserve to rule this world any longer, and the time draws near until my comrades and I take control."_

"I will never!" Yugi protested.

Anhur glowered at Yugi, and then expanded his wings. _"The mortal blood that flows within your veins has changed the person you were meant to become." _He said._ "The next we meet you will not survive, I assure you that but…"_

Yugi tensed up by his response. "What?"

_"You have forgotten about your other friends, the ones that you left behind,_ Anhur continued. _How should you progress against Sekhmet and Shesmu who are now in Adelaide and New York?"_

"You wouldn't dare!"

Anhur took flight as Yugi ran to catch up with him. The dragon merely hid himself into the shadows and disappeared. The clouds were also gone and the sky returned to normal.

Serenity hurried down the steps and rushed towards Yugi. He collapsed on his knees, disappointed and enraged. The rest of his friends looked on with worry in their expressions.

"Yugi…" Serenity said softly. She held him close to her arms as Yugi cried onto her chest. "Our friends will be fine."

* * *

The woman hid herself within the shadows while watching Nick, Stella and Nanook return back to the Hyatt Apartments after a long day of completing the last of their statements about the destruction of the Parliament House. She waited patiently for them, holding a card in her hand that began to glow.

"I hope that fool's plan will work." The woman said.

_"Are you still doubting him?"_ A familiar voice replied in the woman's mind. The owner of the voice came from the holder of the Millennium Ring. He sat on a tree, staring directly at the Guardians' home in New York. _"This does seem like a waste of time."_

"If you have any other ideas, I would like to hear them." The woman jeered to him.

_"Not really, but with the Keepers of Ammon gone, Ra won't stand a chance against us."_ The man responded.

The woman sighed. "We cannot fail this time. We have come too far already and dealing with this mortal and two weak Guardians probably won't be too hard. Besides, you only have to worry about the Holy Guardian."

_"You're right. One Holy Guardian shouldn't be difficult to handle, but two is a challenge. I must go."_

"I will destroy Yugi if it's the last thing I'll do." The woman clutched her fists together with anger. "No one will survive my wrath, no one!"

* * *

Author's Notes: For those who don't know Hanasaki, he appears only in the YGO manga up until the Death-T arc if I recall. Anyway, here's the next chapter synopsis:

Time-traveling to the past may prove of importance to Joey and Kaiba as they encounter the mysterious woman they met in the temple. They'll soon see some familiar faces in the past, and also find out about Pluto's origin. Although the Soul Sphere is in the possession of a sorceress, Joey and Kaiba have to fight demons who want to use it for their own evil. On the next _Struggle of Chaos_ - Chapter 14: Relive History: Demons of the Underworld


	14. Relive History: Demons of the Underworld

Chapter 14: Relive History: Demons of the Underworld

The sharp arrow tip pointed towards both Joey and Kaiba, poised to strike by its owner. The bow shook as the woman never took her eyes off the two duelists, she concentrated hard on not letting go. Joey and Kaiba's sudden appearance startled her, and the strange clothes they wore made her more suspicious.

"I'll ask again, who are you?" The woman demanded. Her long silver bangs fell in front of her face, obscuring her sight. She still managed to hold the arrow in place. "Well?"

"Listen, we're not going to hurt you," Joey assured, walking slowly to her. "Just put that thing down and let us talk."

The woman's blue eyes widened, obviously realizing Joey was not lying. She removed the arrow away from the bow and placed it back in her quiver. Then she slid the bow around her right arm.

"Fine, speak." The woman insisted.

"We came from that circle inside there," Joey pointed to the entrance within the shrine. "Kaiba and I traveled eons into the past to find the Soul Sphere and bring it back to our time. Monsters called the Beasts of Chaos are on the loose and we need that item!"

"Hmm…" the woman mused, averting Joey's gaze. "The item you seek does exist, but… you two have no protection once we get outside." The woman ambled to the corridor. "The demons will kill you."

"Don't worry about us. I rather have Kaiba chased by those demons." Joey jeered.

"Wheeler, you're likely to run since you are a mutt." Kaiba taunted. He slipped past Joey and headed to the corridor with the woman.

"No one calls me a mutt!" Joey yelled, following them.

The temple remained the same as it was back in the present. The only exception was that the windows had no glass in them. The scent of medicinal herbs wafted in the air, torchlight flickered in the darkness, and light peered at the end of the corridor.

Joey, Kaiba and the woman emerged in the main room of the temple, realizing that people were worshiping inside too. They all stared at Joey and Kaiba, staying away from them like they were strangers.

An elderly woman stood up and strolled to the woman beside Joey and Kaiba. "Cataluna, who are they?" The elder asked.

Joey recalled a similar name when he heard the woman was called Cataluna. Apparently he understood why he was being reminded. Joey pulled Kaiba aside and whispered, "That has to be Luna."

"You're telling me this woman is the spirit that followed Artemis around," Kaiba said profusely. "And you believe that the two are the same. Spare me your thoughts."

"Excuse me but I believe one of you mentioned being called Kaiba and the other...?" Cataluna questioned.

"My name's Joey, he's Kaiba." Joey replied.

"I guess our intelligence exceeds your people during this time." Kaiba remarked, crossing his arms.

"Men." Cataluna muttered, rolling her eyes. "Yet you look different from the ones in the Mortal World. Wait, of course, you have magic like the rest of us."

"Uh…" Joey droned.

"What this fool means to say is, what are you babbling about?" Kaiba replied.

"The mortals' haven't quite evolved, you know, they've only become nomadic." Cataluna explained.

"Tell me, is ice coverin' the Mortal World?" Joey inquired.

"Yes." Cataluna answered. "Dear, it's what we call the Ice Age. Now, follow me and I'll explain a bit about the Soul Sphere."

Cataluna proceeded to the exit and headed outside. The villagers made room for Joey and Kaiba so they could follow her and their glum expressions seemed incredulous. Without making any eye contact, Joey and Kaiba walked past the rows of people and left the temple.

Sunlight beamed in their eyes as they spotted Cataluna beside them, her bow and arrow were taken out. A small forest stood before them, which appeared as if the village was at the other end of the hilltop and forest. Even though in the present the vegetation was long gone and the village expanded, this time the past revealed more than meets the eye.

The calm silence in the forest seemed too peaceful for Cataluna, she knew someone was watching them. She scanned every corner and shadow, her arrow raised to the top of a tall tree. She smiled and shot her weapon towards it, and in the process, trimmed away the leaves that got in its way.

"Why'd ya do that?" Joey asked, shielding his eyes from the sun's rays.

"Observe closely." Cataluna advised.

The branches from the tree shook, and a man's groans was heard. A quick flash of black leaped out and landed on the ground. Angered blue eyes stared directly at Cataluna.

"You nearly stabbed me in the chest!" The man said furiously. He noticed Joey and Kaiba in front of him. "Okay, now why are these mortals accompanying you, and why are they looking at me strangely?" The man blinked a couple of times and became frustrated. "What's your problem?"

Joey shuddered when the man scolded them. "I definitely know that voice and you look like him too." He said.

"Huh?"

"Pluto," Cataluna replied. "is one of the few half-demons roaming around the Underworld. He can be a jerk sometimes but give him a chance."

"Pluto!" Joey and Kaiba exclaimed at the same time.

"You heard of him?" Cataluna queried.

"Yeah, we do. He's that psycho Guardian who tried to kill my best friend!" Joey spat.

Pluto raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. And I bet you two must have amnesia because I am not this thing you call a Guardian!" Pluto shouted.

"Quit denying! You're the Guardian of Darkness!" Joey continued.

Kaiba pulled Joey away and spun him around so they had their backs turned to Cataluna and Pluto. He knew something was odd about Pluto, after all he seemed... completely normal. It was like he had a personality switch.

"Wheeler, maybe this Pluto doesn't know he is half-Guardian," Kaiba whispered softly. "We can't have you driveling on about that, or else we'll alter the future."

"Since when did you care?" Joey asked.

"If we change anything from Pluto's past, we may regret what our present will become. Besides, the mutt can probably help us." Kaiba said. He and Joey faced Pluto and Cataluna.

Pluto was hastily brushing off the leaves he had covering his black robes. Cataluna assisted by removing some from his long black hair. It was evident that Pluto wielded no weapon, neither was his sword with him.

"So, um, shall we head to the village, then?" Cataluna questioned Pluto.

Pluto watched the forest intently. "It's safe to cross."

They began walking into the lush forest, the sunlight barely shining through, and the ground level appeared dark. The shadows loomed above the earth as the trees towered over them. Yet everything seemed too quiet.

Pluto narrowed his eyes, looking behind them for any signs of suspicious activity. "I thought so." He murmured.

"Is someone following us?" Joey inquired.

Pluto grinned and leaped up towards a tree. He landed on a thick branch and caused it to budge. The branch snapped off as Pluto jumped off before it fell. Joey, Kaiba and Cataluna moved out of the way, and the branch crashed to the ground. They stared carefully at it, noticing that the leaves shook and something emerged, surprising them.

"For once why can't I hide myself from you!" A young girl whined.

"Amaya, although I'm half-demon, I have the characteristics of a dog demon, remember?" Pluto remarked, grabbing the girl by the collar of her kimono. "This little runt intended to scare us, right?"

Amaya gulped, her wolf-like ears twitched. "Let go of me!" She yelled, struggling in his grip.

Pluto released her and rolled his eyes. "Stupid wolf…" he grumbled.

Joey blinked in perplexity. He noticed that Amaya looked very similar to Kiki; the same blue eyes, black hair, but the ears were an exception. Even her age seemed to show she was probably about sixteen, the exact age in the present day Kiki.

"Ah, you're a wolf demon?" Joey asked.

Amaya smirked. "Of course I am. A full-blood, unlike Pluto." She stuck her tongue out.

Pluto's eyes quivered. "They get the point." He growled.

Kaiba grew impatient of the interference. "Is there anyone else we should know about that are hiding?"

"No." Amaya answered, smiling sweetly at him.

"The innocent act won't fool me, you little brat." Kaiba sneered, continuing his way to the village. "You're even more annoying than my stepbrother Noa, though I can't help but wonder why."

"Because Amaya could be…" Joey paused after noticing Kaiba's glare. Pluto, Cataluna and Amaya stared bewildered at him. "Uh, nothing! Forget what I said. Let's go."

They went on their way as they were nearing the end of the forest. The bright rays of light welcomed them when they emerged and entered the village. People were walking about and they gazed at Joey and Kaiba oddly.

Cataluna couldn't suppress her giggles as did Amaya. They found it funny since the two time travelers were not properly dressed for the era. Pluto simply strolled by as if the villagers were used to seeing him. The half-demon did spend his leisure time with Cataluna so the sorcerers were comfortable with him around. They sought him as protection from demons, especially those after the Soul Sphere.

Pluto suddenly stopped as the wind picked up.

Amaya pricked up her ears, sensing the same aura Pluto was feeling. She and Pluto watched every corner and then raised their heads up towards the sky. They hoped they weren't expecting any company at all.

Cataluna drew out her bow and readied her arrow to strike. Her hands shook, fear crossing her mind once she felt the identical presence similar to Pluto and Amaya. She needed to warn Joey and Kaiba of the threat that was approaching.

"You two have to hide!" Cataluna informed them. The villagers were way ahead of Joey and Kaiba, scurrying off to their homes to conceal themselves from the danger. "What are you waiting for?"

Joey grinned. "Whatever you guys are sensin' we can feel it too," he said. "We're not your ordinary humans. We can help you."

"And what can you do?" Amaya queried, she already was in attack position. "It's not like you are experienced fighting demons."

"I will have to agree with Amaya on this." Cataluna complied, lowering her bow to restrain it from firing. "This particular demon is too strong and he will kill you, even if you can put up a fight."

"We came from a time where we have to fight for our lives!" Joey protested, clenching his fist in the air.

"Who is this demon you speak of?" Kaiba asked.

Pluto nodded. He glowered at Kaiba for a moment, comprehending that he and Joey could really be of assistance to them. "I trust them." He responded while smirking.

Cataluna was completely shocked by Pluto's decision. "But they won't stand a chance against Isamu!" She argued. "He's too powerful, even you can't possibly defeat him on your own. Remember, he's a full-blooded demon."

"I'm willing to take that risk, Cataluna!" Pluto said aloud.

"Don't worry. Me and Kaiba have our own powers that I bet you haven't seen before!" Joey replied, excitement building in his voice. He exchanged glances with Kaiba, and they took out their Neo Guardian cards. "Just you see."

Amaya shuddered abruptly, noticing that black storm clouds were covering the once serene sky. "I don't know about you all, but Isamu is here!" Amaya screamed.

"I hope that bastard is prepared to lose, because this time he won't make it out alive!" Pluto declared. "He thinks he can take the Soul Sphere, but he is about to meet his doom once I'm through with him!"

"I hate it when Pluto's too overconfident." Cataluna commented, rubbing her fingers on her temple. She lifted her weapon upright so the arrow was facing towards the clouds.

Lightning streamed around the clouds as the echoes of someone snickering could be heard from above. The clouds parted from each other; a figure descended to the ground and an evil grin came upon his face.

Pluto gritted his teeth, he had waited for his foe to arrive. "It's about time," he said. "Isamu, as long as I live you won't get your hands on the Soul Sphere!"

The demon merely scoffed. "Well, mutt, I see you made some new friends." Isamu replied, noticing Joey and Kaiba. "I guarantee you will not live long enough once I kill your girlfriend!" The storm clouds circled around where Isamu stood.

Joey and Kaiba awaited for whom was going to make the first move. They held onto the cards containing Thoth and Shu, anticipating the right moment to summon them. There was no way out of this fight, and this one could be their last.

* * *

Author's Notes: I don't expect anyone knowing who's Isamu's reincarnation yet. There isn't enough information that could help you, but if you want you can guess. If anyone is wondering why Pluto didn't say anything about Kiki being the reincarnation of Amaya, well let's just say that part of his past doesn't seem to exist in his memory anymore. Here's the next synopsis:

With two of Yugi's enemies in Adelaide and New York, he doesn't know where to go. Confined to the shadows, his foes are determined to kill his friends no matter what, even if it means risking their very lives. What will Yugi do to stop them? On the next _Struggle of Chaos_ - Chapter 15: Fate Intertwines! Decide, Yugi!


	15. Fate Intertwines! Decide, Yugi!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Nick who belongs to Linkin-Phoenix.

* * *

Chapter 15: Fate Intertwines! Decide, Yugi!

Yugi sat discontentedly upon the steps of the apartment complex. The breaking news of Tristan's death hurt him so much, that he had to come back to Domino City. He needed to check on his friends too since they were in danger of any attacks by the Beasts of Chaos.

After confronting Anhur, Yugi was disturbed about what he had told him. Anhur mentioned that Sekhmet and Shesmu were already in place to kill his friends in Adelaide and in New York. He couldn't decide where he was required to be in, but he hoped his friends were still alive. This time the Beasts of Chaos seemed to have the upper hand, because Joey and Kaiba were in Elysium, seeking the information they had to gather.

Téa could not bear watching Yugi in his mournful state; he had to think of a way. She knew that Tristan's demise was all part of the Beasts of Chaos' plan to eliminate Yugi from this world, they predicted how he would react in the situation they had caused.

Serenity walked over to Téa's side, saddened by how Yugi looked. "Has he made a decision yet?" she asked.

"I don't know…" Téa said softly. "Yugi doesn't seem to be right in his head right now. This whole event has really affected him. I can't imagine how Joey would feel if he were here."

Serenity nodded her head away. "Where is he?"

"On a mission with Kaiba." Téa answered. "I just hope those two will be okay."

Miho and Hanasaki finished their statements to the police and they climbed down the steps to meet up with their friends. They were relieved that the police didn't suspect them as the culprits, but they also felt miserable of how they found Tristan this morning. Tristan did seem worried about something, yet he didn't come out and say exactly what was bothering him. They should have listened to his behavior, then maybe he would still be with them.

Horus looked over at Yugi's direction. He wondered what Yugi was thinking the entire time. The Holy Guardian knew how deeply it agonized someone when they find out their friend is dead; it reminded him too much of the time when his wife perished by the hands of Apophis' son.

He instead walked towards Yugi to see what truly troubled him. He stood over him, making sure he didn't make any eye contact with him at all. "Yugi, you do realize what Anhur has told you, correct?" He questioned enigmatically.

Yugi avoided his friends' gazes. "This just seems too dangerous… I'm the one the Beasts of Chaos are after, not them." He blamed himself while drawing up his fists in anger. "They don't deserve to die like Tristan. It's all my fault!"

"There will a time when allies need to be sacrificed, a lesson the Guardians learned the hard way during the Final Battle," Horus replied. "Understand the pain they went through, realizing that the family they knew turned against them, and possibly in the end give up their lives to protect their world. You, young Ra, must comprehend what fate has in stored for everyone."

"Yugi, no matter what does happen to us, you don't need to feel that this was your fault," Téa said as she and her friends approached Horus and Yugi. "Remember those times we've been through when I, myself, was put in danger along with the rest of our friends. You never gave up on us, and we pulled through those hardships together."

Serenity smiled happily at him. "Even Joey never gave up to save my eyesight. He fought his way in Duelist Kingdom to get the prize money and he managed to succeed thanks to you."

Miho nudged Hanasaki, indicating that he had something to say. He knew what she could be thinking about.

"Yugi, do you remember the time when I almost mistook myself as a real superhero and that I nearly got myself killed by those thugs? Well you were able to find me in time and taught those guys a lesson!" Hanasaki included.

"See, you saved us and maybe we should show our support by helping you come up with a decision." Miho offered.

Yugi couldn't help put up a smile upon hearing their words. "Well, you guys cheered me up! We have no time to waste!"

* * *

Meanwhile in Adelaide, Nick, Stella and Nanook were nearly going to enter the Hyatt Apartments when a strange presence made them suspicious. Someone was watching them from the shadows and waiting patiently.

Nanook looked around, searching for the source and he hadn't found any signs of anyone spying on them. His eyes caught the shadows moving abnormally within an alley. He took a few steps closer to observe what was going on.

"Nanook, is there -" Stella paused in her sentence, realizing the sky was turning black.

"They're back." Nanook stated, narrowing his eyes.

"The Beasts of Chaos?" Stella shrieked.

"No, the aliens." Nanook mocked. "Of course it is them! I just hope they don't decide to come after us."

"Why would they be back?" Nick inquired. "Who else…"

Stella shuddered by his response. "They may be after us!"

"Stella, quiet!" Nanook urged. He stared carefully at the shadows and smirked. "I believe only one of the Beasts of Chaos are present here. Now, show yourself!"

"Like that would really work." Nick remarked.

The shadows began forming together, combining into one creature with a ferocious appearance. Its red eyes glared down at them harshly, drawing out deadly claws that could tear through flesh and bone. Two long fangs protruded from its jaws, as the monster known as Sekhmet emerged before them.

Her malicious gaze did not intimidate the Guardians and Nick. She had come back to finish the job she was set out to do, and there was no way she could fail. Handling a Titan, a Genesis and a human wasn't too difficult for her, even without the aid of Yugi around to help them.

_"I see that mortal girl is not with you."_ Sekhmet snickered, her jaw curled into what appeared to be an animalistic grin.

"She can talk?" Stella queried, slightly surprised by this.

"It would seem so." Nick said. He glowered at Sekhmet, noticing that she knew about Téa. "I assume you're the one who tried to kill Téa."

_"I would have almost succeeded if she hadn't summoned her Ka!"_ Sekhmet roared. _"Oh, how will I enjoy killing her soon-to-be husband. Such a pity you two are engaged."_ She shook her head in mock shame.

"There's no way I'm allowing you to slay me that easily!" Nick yelled out.

_"You seem to have forgotten that your Ka can't hurt me!"_ Sekhmet reminded.

"I guess that means we should hide then." Stella said, taking a step back cautiously.

"Are you nuts? I am not going -" Nick was taken by Stella who transformed into her Guardian form along with Nanook. Nick struggled in her hold, but realized she was stronger than him. "Where are you taking me?" He demanded.

"Someplace where Sekhmet won't find us, hopefully." Nanook said, glancing down at the streets below. He was glad that it was dark so no one could see he and Stella flying above the city.

"Uh, Nanook…" Stella indicated that Sekhmet was on the move, but she had melded with the shadows to chase after them.

"Damn, I forgot about that." Nanook responded.

"We have no choice but to fight her." Nick insisted. He had nearly given up on freeing himself because he knew Sekhmet could simply catch them.

"Well, we don't know how are we to attack her. That's the problem." Stella replied.

"We have to keep on the move or else we'll be bait." Nanook said. He and Stella continued escaping Sekhmet as long as they could, but they knew they would soon become exhausted from the pursuit.

* * *

The night sky appeared beautiful as it hung over the small town. The silence didn't bother anyone within the Guardian household, but that was yet to be proven. The Guardians were certainly not pleased with one resident inside their home, and that was Rebecca.

Sephora and Jupiter were sitting at the dining room, reading over old magazines they kept for reasons of their own. They especially disliked how Rebecca seemed to know everything that went wrong with their appliances since some were ones produced by Jupiter's company.

"I so hate her…" Jupiter grumbled, turning a page from her magazine. She nearly tore it in her anger.

"You're telling me." Sephora agreed. "I just hope Yugi doesn't marry her. They don't seem compatible."

"You think he was better off with Artemis?" Jupiter questioned.

"I'm not really sure. I wasn't with you guys when the Galactic Dragon was on the loose." Sephora responded. She closed her magazine and then turned to look at the window. The trees' shadows gave her an eerie feeling of dread, even from staring at the abandoned asylum beyond the forest. "This is just pointless… I can't stand around here, knowing that Yukai is out there!"

"Maybe we shouldn't have judged him…" Jupiter said remorsefully. "I mean, he doesn't look to be the type to murder mortals. It isn't in his nature."

Sephora stood up and leaned her shoulder to the window. She gazed up the stars, reminding her of Yukai. "Yukai isn't the type to be driven into killing humans. He hadn't done so in Final Battle, and I highly doubt he would now. It's just… there seems to be more to him than I know. Artemis has known him the longest."

Suddenly Selene entered the dining room with a disgusted look on her face. She mumbled a few things under her breath and noticed that Sephora and Jupiter were looking at her. "Oh, sorry… I couldn't stand that blonde-haired mortal, she thinks she's better than us." She said.

"Join the club." Jupiter got off her chair and stood beside the window with Sephora. She shrugged for a moment, sensing that something was not right. "Noa!"

The holographic image of him materialized in front of the three Guardians. Noa awaited the reason why Jupiter called him. Of course he promised Kiki that he wouldn't reveal what she, Mokuba and Koji were doing the entire time.

"Noa, has anything gone wrong with your programming in the last couple of hours?" Jupiter asked skeptically.

"Nothing's wrong." Noa answered. He mentally checked himself over to be sure.

"That's what I thought." Jupiter replied. "You're merely a spirit, a mind trapped inside a computer that functions properly, and yet, some of the appliances, which you don't have control over are not. Something is amidst us."

"I believe I know why." Selene said. "One of the Beasts of Chaos are here. Shesmu must be watching us this very moment."

"But how can that be? The security system should be working." Sephora argued.

"It is but..." Jupiter gave them a weak smile. "I haven't really set up an upgraded version to detect the Beast of Chaos, and I think Shesmu could be waiting for us outside." She ambled towards the doorway to the living room. "Everyone needs to be alerted, now!" She then disappeared.

"The only trouble we'll have is finding Shesmu in the shadows." Selene said. "He won't be easy to find and we must be on our guard."

* * *

The morning came and went as the afternoon arrived in Domino. The sunlight beamed down on Yugi and his friends as they thought of how they were going to handle the dilemmas they faced. They had only one choice to make and there would be no turning back after they decided.

"Without the aid of the Neo Guardians, it will be difficult to fight Sekhmet and Shesmu." Horus implied to the group. "Yugi has only one, but who knows when the rest of the Neo Guardians will awaken."

"And we don't know who's next to awaken them." Yugi added. "It doesn't seem like Tyche is willing to help us out there."

"And what do you mean by your statement?" Tyche's voice was heard from behind them. Everyone turned around and noticed that a purple cat-like creature was sitting beside them, twitching her forked tail. The red gem on her forehead gleamed in the sun. "Who says I'm not helping? It takes time for a Neo Guardian to find their master, and one has finally awoken."

Miho took a step back as did Hanasaki. They weren't used to seeing a creature like Tyche before, but being friends with Yugi they knew they had to expect unexplained occurrences. Tyche ignored their estrange looks and stared at Serenity.

"Tyche, tell us who is the Neo Guardian seeking?" Horus asked.

A spark of light appeared nearly in front of Serenity's face and formed into the shape of a card. It landed onto Serenity's hand and its glow dissipated instantly. Serenity was amazed at how she received her own Neo Guardian. She didn't think she would have the strength.

"Ma'at, Guardian Servant of Mesenet." Serenity read off the card.

"I thought that card would go to Artemis although she doesn't seem to be here at the moment, so the Neo Guardian had to choose another owner." Tyche stated.

"You mean, she isn't with you?" Serenity asked worriedly, clutching the card firmly in her fingertips.

"My daughter always disappears for unknown concerns. She has a mind of her own, sometimes you can't foresee what side she will take." Horus replied darkly.

"I have completed this Neo Guardian's task. We will meet again when another has chosen their master." Tyche said, vanishing into the darkness.

Yugi looked down at the card Serenity got. It was troubling him that the fact the card would have belonged to Artemis, and yet now Serenity was the new owner. There was something blatant going on, and Artemis had to be involved. Why else had she had not shown herself, even during a time of great peril?

He recalled what Atem had said to him six years ago after they finally returned home and the Galactic Dragon was destroyed. Atem assured him that Artemis would only appear when the world was in danger, though Yugi was beginning to doubt the Pharaoh's response.

"So, Yugi, where are you going to go?" Miho inquired.

Yugi glanced at Téa and then towards Serenity. "I'm going to Adelaide." He decided at last.

"You sure?" Téa replied curiously.

"Nick won't probably stand a chance with one of the Beasts of Chaos, even if Stella and Nanook are with him," Yugi explained, standing up. "Selene can take on whoever is with our friends back in New York, and if Serenity goes there they may have the opportunity to live."

"I hope you made the right decision, Ra." Horus said. "But know I must assist my sister at any cost."

"I understand." Yugi said. "Téa, you coming?"

"What about Miho and Hanasaki?" Téa queried.

"We'll go with Serenity." Miho said.

"We are?" Hanasaki gulped. He hadn't realized Horus opened up a portal and was dragged in by Miho who looked excited to enter it.

Serenity looked back at Yugi and smiled. "Don't do anything drastic!" She advised as she leaped into the portal.

Yugi and Téa were ready to enter the other tunnel that Horus created that would lead them to Adelaide. Yugi faced Horus, awaiting for what he might have wanted to say, but nothing happened. He expected the Guardian to have some objections of certain things, but he probably understood the reason why Yugi had chosen to go to Adelaide.

"Be careful." Horus warned. He watched Yugi and Téa enter the portal and it sealed itself immediately. "Even if my daughter was once an ally to you, she has her own reasons to turn against you." He then walked into the portal and it closed once he went in.

* * *

Tyche strolled through the empty corridors of the shadow version of the Temple of the Sun. She came upon the sealed entryway to the chamber where the Neo Guardians were kept and the walls parted as she walked in. She saw Heka inside, overlooking the tablets.

"Four down, three to go." Heka said. His red eyes shone in the torchlight.

Tyche stared at the etched carvings of the remaining Neo Guardians. "The servants of the Galactic Dragon are on the move, and they seem to be after Yugi's friends." She said sadly.

"That would appear so, but who may be the next owner of the Neo Guardians?" Heka questioned furtively.

"Only fate will decide by the turn of the battles to come." Tyche answered. Suddenly two figures stood beside her in the shadows.

* * *

Author's Notes: Next chapter, if not obvious, will resume the Underworld part. Anyway, here's the next synopsis:

Isamu, said to be the rival of Pluto before Seiryu came in, will be one of the toughest opponents that Joey and Kaiba have encountered yet. The demon has powers that will even surprise them, but will their Neo Guardians withstand the onslaught of moves that Isamu delivers them? On the next _Struggle of Chaos_ - Chapter 16: The Fury of Darkness


	16. The Fury of Darkness

Chapter 16: The Fury of Darkness

The demon known as Isamu stood before his archrival Pluto, their eyes met with menacing glares. Bolts of lightning streamed about the storm clouds Isamu created, which were capable of killing a human when struck.

Cataluna's hands shook as she held on tightly to her bow and arrow. She was pointing her weapon towards Isamu and preparing when to fire. Her only worry was for both Joey and Kaiba, needless to say this was their first fight against a demon.

Isamu's blue eyes shifted to Joey and Kaiba, he pondered over their identities and was curious if they were after the Soul Sphere as well.

"I guess I have competition to eliminate." Isamu said.

"Heh, you beatin' us is out of the question!" Joey spat.

Isamu smirked evilly. "You never faced an opponent like me, and there can only be one possessor of the Soul Sphere."

"Like I'm letting you have it." Pluto interrupted, waving his hand negatively.

The demon glowered at him, gritting his teeth. "I don't care if you have royal blood, you can't beat me!" Isamu argued.

"Pluto's royalty?" Joey questioned puzzlingly.

"His mother is ruler of this realm." Amaya replied.

Joey's eyes nearly doubled in size. He couldn't believe what he had heard, but he was now frightened of whether Pluto's mother would come after them. Something about Pluto's past made Joey wonder if it all came into play in the present, maybe explain Luna's death.

"Wheeler, the sooner we fight this demon, the faster we don't lose time in the present." Kaiba snapped Joey into reality.

"Ammon could take care of Isamu, but this seal won't let us summon him." Joey said worriedly. He held Ammon's card, glimpsing at the Star Seal of Shesmu. Then he stared at Thoth, the card that was previously given to him. "The Neo Guardians are our only chance."

Thoth's card began to glow brightly as did Shu's card. A spark of light shot out from them, forming into the very beings contained in the cards. The arrival of the two Neo Guardians startled Pluto, Cataluna and Amaya, they were shocked at the tremendous power they sensed.

Isamu didn't seem impressed. Although he had never seen them before, he did not fear the Neo Guardians' strength at all. "Powerful as they seem, I will crush them." He commented.

"Wha-what are those?" Amaya asked fearfully.

"Just call them Guardians." Joey answered gleefully.

"So those are Guardians." Pluto said, arching his head interestingly at them. He then looked back for Isamu but couldn't find any sign of him. Instantly Pluto jumped to a nearby tree to dodge what appeared to be a flash of lightning. "Dammit! He caught me off guard!"

Cataluna turned her head in every direction, investigating where Isamu could be. "He disappeared, possibly hid somewhere we can't find him!"

Kaiba looked around and he gazed at the shadows that were cast by the trees. He realized wisps of darkness moving in a particular spot and he needed to alert the others. "Can Isamu blend into the shadows?" Kaiba inquired.

"He can do that?" Joey asked.

Pluto stared from above the tree to what Kaiba was inferring. His eyes glinted deviously, and he leaped down, punching the ground where the shadow was with his fist. The shadow quickly shaped itself into Isamu as the demon blocked Pluto's attack.

Pluto moved away from him and landed beside Cataluna. "Since when can you meld with the shadows? I thought I was the only one who could that."

Isamu fully formed into his normal state. "I learned that trait after the countless times I've seen you use it." Isamu explained.

"His lightning attacks were too much we could handle, but now Isamu taught himself to withdraw into the shadows. Great!" Cataluna exclaimed angrily, lowering her weapon. She glared at Pluto who was surprised by the new skill Isamu acquired.

"Not even my ice attacks will work on him." Amaya said.

"Ice?" Joey mumbled. The word somewhat helped give him an idea, but he knew Isamu would simply escape before the plan could work.

"Wheeler, if we attack Isamu now, we may be able to weaken him long enough for Pluto and Cataluna to strike." Kaiba said. He watched Isamu cautiously and then looked at Shu. "The Neo Guardians should have a special ability to help us."

Joey nodded sadly to him.

"It just seems impossible," Amaya remarked. "If only there was light to shed away the darkness, then we could attack Isamu."

"Or a small source of light," Joey mused. He exchanged glances with Kaiba as Joey ordered Thoth to attack Isamu.

Isamu noticed the Guardian approaching him, and he raised his arm in the air. Lightning shot from the sky and almost hit Thoth, but he flew away before it damaged him.

"Pathetic. Even those beings can't stop me." Isamu said harshly.

"Really?" Kaiba questioned him.

Shu created a sphere of light in his hands and directed it towards Isamu from behind. Thoth was merely a distraction for Shu to attack the demon while he was defenseless. The sphere hit Isamu as he turned around, unsuspecting of the surprise ambush.

"I bet you regret callin' us pathetic!" Joey shouted confidently.

Isamu panted heavily as he stared furiously at both Joey and Kaiba. He began snickering slightly, placing his hand on his forehead. "How can mortals deceive me so easily?" He asked manically. "They can't be capable of true power, one far beyond a demon's…"

Pluto looked intently at Isamu. "I hope he hasn't lost his mind in there."

"I hope he doesn't do what I think he's going to do." Amaya responded with fear rising in her voice.

"What's goin' on?" Joey inquired.

"You have never faced a demon's true potential." Cataluna replied. She immediately placed her arrow back in her quiver and she threw her weapon onto the ground. "Only magic will hurt a demon when they are at a point of extreme rage." Cataluna materialized a fan in her hand, ready to fight.

"This must be Berserk." Kaiba concluded, calling over his Neo Guardian as did Joey.

"But only Genesis can perform that move." Joey added.

"That is correct, but it's possible the attack's origin came from demons. One such Genesis Guardian here is Pluto," Kaiba continued. "He must have learned it from the demons and it soon passed on to the Guardians."

Joey blinked. "That's the least of our worries." He responded with a bit of worry in his voice. "How are we to defeat Isamu now? Even if he isn't a Guardian, he may still be too powerful for us."

"Unfortunately his reincarnation is passive, not brutal like him." Kaiba said.

"Huh?" Joey gazed carefully at Isamu, realizing that he almost looked like Mark, Pluto's older brother in the present. "Hard to believe they once were enemies. At least he isn't Seiryu."

Kaiba glared. "Mutt, say that lunatic Guardian's name again or I will make Shu attack you instead."

Joey ignored his comment and shuddered suddenly. He could feel Isamu's power increasing as a red aura shrouded his body. The darkness was growing stronger with each passing second that gone by, and Joey truly wished he knew a way to stop the demon. His heart was beating fast, fear consuming his mind which overwhelmed him. Yet why was Joey afraid?

"Kaiba, are ya scared?" Joey asked.

Kaiba stared at his hands, noticing how they shook. His forehead was covered in a cold sweat and his heartbeat was racing in a rapid pace like Joey's. Kaiba's vision was blurry, and he staggered to the ground, stooping down on his knees.

"What is going on…?" Kaiba questioned weakly.

Pluto's eyes twitched. "That bastard is exuding negative energy," he began, "You two are feeling its effects, and due to that, you are becoming feeble."

"Now you understand why I said you never faced a demon like Isamu." Cataluna said, raising her fan in the air. "Pluto, we need to attack Isamu."

Pluto nodded. "Right."

Isamu grinned. "Pluto, it's time that you left this world once and for all!" He yelled, the red aura disappeared and the shadows enveloped him. His laughter was heard in every direction like ominous echoes in the distance.

"That freak is drivin' me nuts!" Joey shouted, looking around for Isamu.

Thoth and Shu were scouring the ground as they flew in the sky. Unfortunately they were unable to find Isamu. They could sense him, but the shadows concealed him well.

Amaya shivered, watching the surroundings. "He's somewhere. I don't want to die!" She whined.

"Shut up! You want to draw his attention?" Pluto tried calming her down.

Cataluna, with the wave of her fan, created blades of wind once she felt cold down her spine. Her weapon hit nearby tress, slashing them to the ground.

"There he is!" She said aloud, pointing to a shadow that was moving.

Pluto targeted the spot by aiming a sphere of dark energy from the palm of his hand. The attack impacted on the area, and the shadow escaped. Pluto knew his physical attacks were unaffected on Isamu when he used Berserk.

Joey couldn't take their enemy hiding any longer. "Come on! There's gotta be a way to shine some light on the situation!"

"Light?" Cataluna gasped. "I got it!" She took out a small object tied to a chain around her neck. "This can give us the chance we need."

"It couldn't…" Joey said.

"She does have it." Kaiba replied.

The object Cataluna held shone brightly on her face. Its soft glow emanated around everyone, and Joey and Kaiba felt their power returning. The very item they were sent to search was right in the hands of Cataluna; the Soul Sphere.

"Cataluna, is it wise to have the Soul Sphere out? Isamu may very well take it." Amaya advised.

"I doubt even he can handle its magical properties, it was produced from pure light." Cataluna said.

The shadows vanished as the Soul Sphere's glow expanded around them. Suddenly Isamu appeared in the light as he sensed the item. He was within reach of the Soul Sphere, but a wall of ice blockaded him from Cataluna.

"You'll never get your hands on it now!" Amaya exclaimed happily. Obviously she was the one who formed the ice.

"Good work." Joey complimented.

"Why thank you." Amaya responded. "I wouldn't have done it without your idea."

Cataluna moved away from the wall of ice and walked over to Pluto. "If we combine forces, we may be able to defeat Isamu."

"Mortals," Pluto called over Kaiba and Joey. "Get over here!"

"You know we have names!" Joey yelled. He and Kaiba came over as Amaya followed.

Isamu was growing impatient. He blasted the ice wall to pieces and confronted the others. To his surprise, he realized they were all together, especially Thoth and Shu.

"This time I will make sure you all die!" Isamu declared.

"I don't think so!" Joey protested.

"You seriously believe you can kill me, you have lost your minds!" Isamu jeered.

"Oh, I wouldn't put it like that." Pluto replied. "It's more around the lines of us defeating you together."

Pluto, Cataluna, Amaya, Thoth and Shu merged their powers into one attack; a unified force that was capable of wiping out Isamu in one hit. The demon glared daggers at them, he was so close to finishing them off for good, but the interference of Kaiba and Joey had changed the outcome of the battle. Now Isamu was the one to perish by the united powers of a half-demon, a full-demon, a sorceress and two strong beings he had never seen before.

"I assure you Pluto that I will return to get my revenge!" Isamu proclaimed furiously. His words sounded promising as if he really meant it.

Pluto was not at all intimidated by him. He produced a sphere of dark light and it formed with the other moves that his allies created. "Isamu, you're a fool. You will never understand the bond I share with Cataluna. She and I love each other, which you will never comprehend in this lifetime." Pluto said.

The attacks finally was sent towards Isamu as the demon awaited for it to come. He had admitted defeat to his long-time rival, but he knew sooner or later that Pluto and Cataluna's bond was to become broken. The demon smirked as the attack struck him, the power flowing from it was indeed great. A blinding light appeared, and everyone shielded their eyes.

Joey slowly opened his eyes, realizing that the light was dying down. Once everything became clear again, he noticed that Isamu was truly gone. "We did it!" Joey leaped into the air, overjoyed of their success.

Kaiba simply stayed away from him. He recalled back Shu into his card and then looked towards Cataluna, Pluto and Amaya. They were as happy as Joey was, but he knew they had to finish their objective. Walking over to them, he waited for them to end their excitement.

"Kaiba?" Joey queried. He came over to him, remembering what they had to do. Thoth returned back to his original state within the card.

Amaya gazed back at them, smiling brightly to them. "Without you guys, we would have never defeated Isamu." She chirped.

Joey stared sadly at her. "Ah, Cataluna?"

Cataluna frowned suddenly. She had tucked back the Soul Sphere inside her blue robes. "You want the item, don't you?" She questioned, knowing what they wanted. "I will hand it to you but…"

"What is it now?" Kaiba demanded.

Cataluna exchanged glances with Pluto. He signaled to her as if he was the one who understood what was going on. "How will you return back to your time period?"

"Uh, we haven't thought of that…" Joey said, looking at Kaiba who gave him a baffled look. "How are we gonna get back?"

* * *

Author's Notes: Well, Isamu's gone too soon, so that would mean part of Pluto's future has been altered, or has it? Maybe this was all premeditated from the start. Anyway, here's the next synopsis:

Yugi and Téa rush back to Adelaide to locate Nick, May and December before Sekhmet manages to kill them. While in New York, Serenity has to help Horus and Selene fight against Shesmu, with attributes similar to Isamu. One of the Beasts of Chaos is dwelling within the shadows, and his eyes are set upon the "mindless doll" that he is prepared to manipulate. On the next _Struggle of Chaos_ - Chapter 17: Chaos Approaching: The Dawn of a New War!


	17. Chaos Approaching: The Dawn of a New War...

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Nick who belongs to Linkin-Phoenix.

* * *

Chapter 17: Chaos Approaching: The Dawn of a New War!

Footsteps paced down the streets where seemingly people were outside doing their usual business, oblivious of the worry from their two guests. The search continued onward as Yugi and Téa made their way around Adelaide, locating any signs of strange activity.

Téa's heart pounded heavily, fearful for the safety of Nick. She could not bear if he became captive by the Beasts of Chaos; the last time he was caught, Sonja has turned him against his own friends. Hopefully the Beasts of Chaos didn't intend to repeat the same action again.

Yugi suddenly tripped and collapsed to the ground. His breathing was ragged and his eyes were half-shut.

"We can't stop now!" Téa cried out.

Yugi took a deep breath. "I know, but Stella, Nanook and Nick could be anywhere." He said. People walked past them as if nothing was going on. "No one seems to know that a monster is on the loose."

Téa gazed up at the sky, noticing how dark it was. "This is ridiculous. With everyone roaming around, we may never find them."

"I wouldn't be too sure." Yugi replied. "Whoever is after them may try to lure them out with a critical situation." His eyes widened in shock. "Téa, do you think…"

Téa was quickly running in a different direction. "We haven't got much time!" She yelled as Yugi followed.

* * *

Nanook was on lookout as Stella and Nick awaited for them to move on. They stood upon the rooftop of a building, realizing that Sekhmet lost them.

Stella sat down as she saw Nick's angered look. "If something's bothering you, tell us!" She snapped.

Nick glared at her. "We can't just run away! Whatever that monster was will probably find us," he said. "It's bad enough if that was the same monster who tried to kill Téa."

"You think that beast wants you dead." Nanook responded.

"Well, it obviously wants to finish the job, this time baiting Téa back here." Nick explained.

Stella blinked. "How would you feel if a certain place you know is going to be destroyed?" she asked him.

"What's your point?" Nanook queried.

Stella pointed to a specific area in the distance. Her question did sound frivolous, but she proved her point as Sekhmet appeared.

Sekhmet watched warily of the people strolling outside, she roared to announce her arrival. Everyone stared up at the beast whose enraged glare startled them. They never seen such a creature like Sekhmet before, and they had no clue she was partly responsible for the destruction of the Parliament House.

"There's no way that thing is going to get away with this!" Nick rushed down a fire escape and began running to where Sekhmet was.

Stella and Nanook took flight, following where he was headed. They were unsure of the reason for Nick's abrupt departure, but they had to go after him.

Nick raced through the streets as people ran in the opposite direction. He pushed his way amongst the crowd and arrived at the area Sekhmet was. The two Guardians caught up with him, landing to the ground and they looked around.

"What is this place?" Stella asked.

"Rundle Mall." Nick answered.

"Why would a Beast of Chaos come here?" she continued.

"To bait us." Nanook said, his voice held an air of disappointment.

* * *

Meanwhile as the cold night made everyone stay inside, Jupiter, Selene and Sephora were still in the dining room, overlooking the street adjacent from their home. The streetlights dimmed on and off and then finally shutting off.

Selene shuddered as she sensed the arrival of her brother Horus nearby. She sighed contently, thrilled that he was all right.

Suddenly the lights turned off throughout the entire house as an angered Jupiter groaned. Sephora walked carefully to the kitchen to find either a flashlight or a candle.

"I hope we don't have a blackout," Sephora said, discovering a candle in the counter drawer. She reached for matches beside the shelf and flicked a match to light the candle. "Luckily we don't have to freeze in here since we use gas to heat up this place." Sephora placed the candle in a candlestick on the table.

"I don't like this." Jupiter replied. "What in the world?" She looked out the window, seeing a dark figure flying through the sky.

Selene rushed over and her eyes widened. She recognized the beast easily. "It's Shesmu!" she cried.

The resonating roars of Shesmu was heard in the living room where Mai, Rebecca and Hathor were in. The three didn't know it was a Beast of Chaos, but they were tempted to figure out for themselves. They immediately dashed to the front door and headed outside where they encountered Serenity, Miho, Hanasaki and Horus.

"Serenity, what are you doing here?" Mai asked. "Who are these two?"

"Introductions later. A monster is on the loose!" Serenity replied.

"Shesmu must have been sent here, then perhaps Sekhmet is where Yugi and Téa are." Horus pondered.

Selene came over to the door and confronted the others. Jupiter and Sephora trailed behind her as Shesmu's roars echoed in the sky.

"Only Ma'at can handle the job." Horus said, gazing at Serenity.

"We haven't got much time!" Jupiter yelled. "Our hometown will be destroyed if we don't do something!"

"Relax, Jupiter," Saturn said softly to her as he appeared. "There's not much us Titans can do about this. Let them deal with it." He rested his arms around Jupiter, comforting her.

Horus and Selene departed together, finding where Shesmu had wandered off to. Serenity ignored Rebecca as she saw Hathor right beside her. She ran after the two Holy Guardians to assist them in their search.

Hathor stared inquisitively at Serenity for a moment. She blinked a couple of times before the others went inside. Deep down she sensed the presence of the Neo Guardian that Serenity had, possibly because it shared a common bond with her. Whatever she was feeling, Hathor hoped it led her to the right path.

"Hathor!" Rebecca called.

Hathor closed the door, her eyes filled with worry in them. She sighed to herself and disappeared to the living room.

Shesmu rampaged the sky as he found Serenity, Selene and Horus. The beast looked around for a spot to land; the stars above shone brightly on his black form. Shesmu descended slowly to the grounds of an abandoned psychiatric institute just nearby. He flapped his dark wings to control the speed of his descent.

Selene and Horus caught up with Shesmu as Serenity tried to keep up. The Holy Guardians paused before they realized they came upon a street where no lights were on. They hoped no one would come use the road, but Jupiter and Sephora assured that barely anyone used it.

Shesmu awaited patiently for the three to arrive. He stood on his hind legs, twitching his demon-like tail. His task seemed simple: destroy any who opposed the Beasts of Chaos.

Serenity ran across the road as Selene and Horus proceeded too. The throng of pine trees came in their way, their pointy leaves pinched them as they attempted to cross through. The tall trees appeared to be like a barrier so no one could enter the asylum, but to one's discovery a highway exit was right beside the fields of the building.

Red orbs which were the creature's eyes stared down at the approaching figures that came out from the trees. Shesmu was prepared to fight them, and this time he was not holding back.

"That's Shesmu?" Serenity asked, startled by how the creature looked.

_"So, the Holy Guardians sent by the Guardian of the Afterlife have arrived as well,"_ Shesmu remarked with a sly glint in his eyes. _"Your actions have further delayed my comrades' objections. This world will perish along with all the inhabitants that have tarnished it."_

"Why are you here?" Horus demanded.

_"The sword!"_ Shesmu roared. _"I know you have it!"_

Horus grinned. "Surely, Shesmu, if I did have my weapon I would have killed you by now," he answered. "Besides I know you plan to kill Ra."

"You mean Yugi?" Serenity cried, glowering at Shesmu.

Selene nodded. "The Beasts of Chaos are the loyal servants of the Galactic Dragon," she explained. "They'll do anything to obey their master, but the Neo Guardians are faithful to the ones they have chosen."

Serenity took out Ma'at's card. She gazed at it carefully, wondering if she was able to control the Neo Guardian.

_"Tell me where is your sword!"_ Shesmu yelled, growing impatient.

"That I will never reveal to you!" Horus said back.

Serenity noticed the card glowing as Ma'at appeared in the sky. A white light emanated from her body as Shesmu stood back in fear.

"He's scared of the light." Selene mused. "No wonder the Beasts of Chaos vanished during the day." Her eyes broadened suddenly. "Yugi doesn't know their weakness!"

* * *

The search was still on as Yugi and Téa continued running around until they realized people were moving in the other way. They were baffled, but the sounds of Sekhmet's roars confirmed their initial thoughts.

"You don't think they found our friends?" Yugi inquired.

"Let's just hope they're fine." Téa replied as they finally discovered where the roars came from.

Stella and Nanook were both lying on the ground as one of Sekhmet's attacks hit them. Nick was on the other side as Sekhmet had him cornered. The buildings surrounding them were not completely demolished by the battle.

"What happened?" Yugi asked, rushing to pick Stella off the ground.

Nanook slowly stood up, his arms shook feverishly. "Sekhmet… It happened so fast."

"I don't believe this." Téa said. She stared at Sekhmet as the creature was nearly inches towards Nick. "We have to do something!"

Yugi held out Set's card as the Neo Guardian was summoned instantly. The Guardian flew overhead, attracting the attention of Sekhmet. His appearance agitated the creature, and instead she decided to go after him. The shadows formed around Sekhmet, her body disappearing into the darkness.

Within the distance, the holder of the Millennium Rod hid from sight as his eyes watched Téa carefully. "What is she doing? That fool!" he said angrily. "She was supposed to go after Ra!" He closed his eyes as the item in his hands glowed.

Téa felt an odd sensation inside her mind. The world around her began to turn black and her body felt numb. She collapsed to the ground as Yugi realized what had occurred.

"Téa!" Yugi yelled out. He ran over to her and tried to wake her up.

Nick noticed what was going on and he rushed towards them. He hoped Téa was fine, but he sensed a feeling of dread within him. As he approached closer to Téa, it was like an evil aura shrouded her.

Téa opened her eyes as Nick finally arrived. Her mind seemed empty inside as if something had erased parts of her memories. A devious grin crossed her face.

"Are you all right?" Nick asked her.

"I'm feeling fine," Téa answered, her grin had not faltered. "Perhaps it is I who should ask you that question."

"What?" Yugi queried suspiciously.

Téa suddenly vanished into the shadows as Yugi and Nick scanned around for her. Immediately, Nick felt a blow to his head as he was knocked to the ground.

His head pounded from the impact and he saw Téa behind Yugi. "Yugi , watch out!" He warned.

"Téa!" Yugi shouted, dodging her. He grabbed her arm and held on tightly.

"Let go!" Téa screamed. She relentlessly struggled in his grip.

"Téa…" Nick said sadly. "This isn't like you."

"Tch, you're nothing to me now, Nick. Nothing." Téa replied, hatred in her eyes.

"Nanook, do you know…" Stella drifted off.

"No, I don't." Nanook responded, finally feeling his head recovering from the earlier attack. "I don't think the real Téa is in there."

"I won't believe that!" Nick spat, his eyes quivering while he overheard what they said.

Téa walked towards him, smirking evilly. "Nick, I don't love you!" she yelled. "You're worthless and weak. Your very existence in this world sickens me, and I wish you were still dead!"

Her words had hit deeply in Nick's heart, the very thought of her saying them made him disappointed. This couldn't be Téa, his fiancée. She was a kind and gentle person, not this cold-hearted one.

"Just stay away from me." Téa muttered, turning her back.

"Téa, I…" In a flash, Nick felt pain in his cheek as Téa slapped him. The unbearable anguish was too much for him.

"Téa, how could you say these things?" Yugi argued. "You were yourself one moment and now you're against us. How is that possible?"

"I wanted to change and when I met Sekhmet outside of the Hyatt Apartments that day, she tried to kill me at first but then I saved myself by summoning my Ka," Téa explained. "Eventually I began sensing Yugi's true intentions. He wanted me dead. His mind is clouded in darkness, Yugi will become the enemy!"

"And what do you have against me?" Nick inquired.

"I believe you're working for him along with the others. You all want nothing more than power!" Téa continued.

"I don't know who's filling your thoughts with lies, but I would never turn my back on you." Yugi pleaded.

Téa chuckled. "I will enjoy when you finally die, Yugi. I'll savor every moment you writhe in pain, with terror in your eyes, and you, Nick, I await the time your demise is at hand." She began laughing insanely in a fashion so out of character of her.

"There's no way I'm letting you go without a fight!" Yugi spat.

Sekhmet appeared behind Téa as Set landed beside Yugi. Sekhmet and Set glared daggers at each other, waiting to attack.

"Is he crazy?" Stella said aloud. She and Nanook were running towards them. "He can't fight his own friend."

"It's like the Final Battle," Nanook reminded. "We divided, too."

_"Ra, this is the last time you will walk among these mortals,"_ Sekhmet proclaimed. _"Your friend has already decided which side she is on, and now what will you do? Needless to say her assistance will be of some use to my companions and I."_

Yugi's eyes twitched irritably. His thoughts were shrouded with ways to save Téa and at the same time how to destroy her. It was strange. Yugi thinking about killing his friend, could he truly be evil on the inside? Perhaps Téa was right, Yugi was better off dead so the world would be safe.

Everything seemed so complicated to Yugi as he continued his debate in his mind. How could he go against Téa, his childhood friend and former crush? Maybe it was time to give in…

_Ra…_ A deep voice said to Yugi.

Yugi looked around and realized that Set was speaking telepathically to him. He didn't imagine that Set was capable of doing so.

_You're taking the coward's way out, aren't you?_ Set questioned. _You were never like that eons ago._

_What else can I do? I've lost all hope now…_ Yugi replied back.

_Time heals old scars; one worthy as yourself should know that, _Set responded. _Although my younger brethren are too stubborn to forget the past, they never gave up. You shouldn't either._

_If you can't attack the Beasts of Chaos without hurting Téa, what else can I do? _Yugi asked.

_That very answer lies within your heart,_ Set said, closing the link.

_My heart… _Yugi mused. He placed his hands over where his heart was and a glow surrounded his body.

A small orb of light appeared in his hands and formed into the shape of a sword. Yugi grasped the sword in his hands, looking at the intricate design on the hilt. It didn't look nothing like Pluto or Yukai's swords. The surging pulse he felt throughout his body seemed tremendous. The strength perhaps that of a Holy Guardian.

Sekhmet was not pleased by the sword that Yugi had. She knew it would be capable of killing any of the Beasts of Chaos with one swipe. She had to retreat and come up with a new plan to deal with Yugi's new weapon.

The Millennium Rod holder stared petrified as he saw the sword. The metal glinted in his eyes as he shielded them from obscuring his vision.

"Horus deceived us! He hid his sword within Yugi, but how?" he murmured to himself, gritting his teeth. "Yet, the sword needs another item for it to reveal our true forms…"

"Where did that come from?" Stella questioned, bemused by the sword's appearance.

"It just came out of Yugi's body…" Nanook said in a shaky tone.

Téa glowered at her friends. She wondered why Sekhmet had not attacked Yugi while she had the chance; he was clearly defenseless.

"Sekhmet, what are you waiting for!" Téa shouted furiously.

_"The sword…"_ Sekhmet whispered with fear rising in her voice.

Yugi raised the sword in the air as a blinding light cloaked it. The powerful energy it emitted caused Sekhmet to become immobilized. Yugi knew what to do, he had to attack Sekhmet before she managed to escape. He allowed his weapon to strike as he leaped to slash his sword at the creature.

Suddenly Anhur appeared out of nowhere and came in the way of Yugi's attack. The sword tore through Anhur's face, leaving him to fall to the ground. He gradually stood up, blood pouring down from his maw. A long gash was visible in between his eyes and an upset look came upon his expression.

_"Anhur, how dare you interfere!_" Sekhmet growled.

_"I saved you from being killed!"_ Anhur said defensively. The blood continued to flow, reaching to the ground. _"We must head back!"_

_"Fine."_ Sekhmet replied reluctantly. _"So long, mortals."_ She and Anhur disappeared into the shadows.

"Téa!" Nick called out, reaching his hand to her.

Téa had her back turned. "Nick, it's over. I don't love you anymore!" She too melded into the shadows, leaving Yugi, Stella, Nanook and Nick behind.

"She's gone…" Nick said softly.

Yugi came towards his friend, grasping his sword as Set returned back into the form of his card. "We'll get Téa back. She never gave up on you when you were against us," he responded. "Although this time it might be harder to do."

* * *

Ma'at had dealt Shesmu with various of her attacks while she was assisted by Selene and Horus. Shesmu could not do much to strike back, and he nearly stumbled to the ground.

"Shesmu is weakening. We may have an opportunity to destroy him when he's down." Horus advised Selene and Serenity.

"I hope you're right," Selene said. "We can't let him withdraw yet."

_Shesmu, return now!_ Anhur's voice spoke in Shesmu's mind. _Don't bother with them. Ra has what we were looking for._

Shesmu evaded an attack by Ma'at and the shadows began forming around him. _"Until next time. You're fortunate to have survived this round but we will be back!"_ The creature quickly vanished into the dark night.

"I don't believe this." Horus said disapprovingly.

"We may have won, but to me it doesn't feel like a victory." Serenity replied. "It's like somewhere out there, Yugi may have received his own loss…"

* * *

Author's Notes: I didn't expect Téa to switch sides this soon, but I decided to change it. Anyway here's the next synopsis:

With Joey and Kaiba stuck in the past, they have no way of returning to the present. Cataluna and Pluto know of a way for them to go back to their own time period, but the journey will be dangerous. With the time portal inaccessible in the temple, Joey and Kaiba have to infiltrate the castle where the Ruler of the Underworld resides. On the next _Struggle of Chaos_ - Chapter 18: The Lair of the Demon Ruler: Time is Running Out!


	18. The Lair of the Demon Ruler

Chapter 18: The Lair of the Demon Ruler

Joey and Kaiba were shocked to hear about how they were going back to their era. There was no other option; the portal inside the shrine would not work and they were left with no other choice.

Pluto raised an eyebrow with amusement. He owed them for helping destroy Isamu and he had to keep a promise. He knew Joey and Kaiba would be killed the instant they were seen within the demon ruler's castle.

Joey sighed. "There isn't any other place that can get me and Kaiba back home?"

Cataluna frowned. "No, what I'm more worried about is Keket," she answered. "She is far stronger than any other demon in this world. Even if Pluto is the prince of the Underworld, his mother will object allowing mortals into her castle."

"Your mother is Keket?" Joey questioned.

"Yes, and she truly is powerful than I. I left my home because of Cataluna." Pluto explained, staring passionately at the sorceress.

Amaya rolled her eyes. "I can't believe he's a demon."

Pluto glared at her and grabbed her by the collar of her kimono. The young wolf demon struggled from his grip, kicking her legs in the air. Despite her actions Pluto wasn't willing to loosen his grip.

"Pluto, let go of her," Cataluna said.

"Fine." Pluto replied, and released Amaya.

"By the time you're all done with your antics, I'll be surprised if we reached our time period." Kaiba commented impatiently.

"Someone's in a bad mood." Amaya remarked. She quickly realized that they all embarked away from the village without her. "Hey, wait for me!" She ran after them.

Cataluna and Pluto took a rugged dirt path inside a dense forest as Joey, Kaiba and Amaya followed. Light peered through, almost touching the ground. The forest was silent, but the only sounds heard was the footsteps of the travelers.

Suddenly the area became darker each time the group gone further. It seemed they were entering new territory belonging to the demons. All plant life perished as a cold chill came into the air. This definitely reminded Joey and Kaiba the first time they came to the Underworld to rescue their siblings from the present-day Pluto.

The half-demon eyed them cautiously, wondering what they were thinking. He never liked coming back to his mother Keket because he knew she would probably kill him.

_"My son, you will become a traitor to your own kind!" _A strong feminine voice yelled inside Pluto's mind.

_"I'm not like you! The demons slay mortals for fun, and I can't stand it!"_ _Pluto spat with spite in his eyes._

_A dark demonic figure stood upon her throne, her blood-red eyes quivering with rage. Her black wings were stretched out as she descended from her throne._

_"I ordered you to do a simple task and yet you go against your own mother," the demon woman said, placing her hand on Pluto's shoulder. "That sorceress has something I want and if you dare betray me again, I cannot ensure your safety."_

_Pluto removed his mother's hand from his shoulder. "You want me to be like my father, he joined the dark side because of you," he said. "Well, I'm not going to become the bastard of a man you shaped him to be!" Pluto headed towards the large pair of doors._

_His mother stared at him with shock. "Pluto, ever show your face here again and you will die! You have my word!" She shrieked. "I won't allow my only son to love some sorceress just because his heart is too soft!"_

_Pluto had his back turned the entire time. "You just don't get it, do you?" He muttered._

_The doors slammed as Pluto proceeded out. His mother gritted her teeth, seething anger for his departure. Perhaps it was time to take matters into her own hands._

"Pluto?" Cataluna snapped him out of his thoughts. She narrowed her eyes at him. "You seemed lost."

The half-demon scoffed. "Just a bad memory," he said. "Nothing else."

"You'll be happy to know we're approaching the castle." Cataluna stated.

Joey looked around, realizing the scenery appeared familiar "Kaiba, do you notice something that reminds you were here before?" He asked.

"Hmm…" Kaiba mused.

They stopped as they approached a hillside. Beyond their overlook, a huge castle lied within a few distances from them. Upon closer inspection Joey and Kaiba recalled an almost similar look to Pluto's temple in Midnight City. Even the lifeless plants and trees gave off a horrible stench of death.

"Home sweet home." Pluto remarked. He faced Amaya, curious if she really wanted to go with them. "Amaya, you don't necessarily need to come. I mean, you look scared."

"I want to!" Amaya chirped, giving him puppy dog eyes.

Pluto rolled his eyes. "You may fool others with that look, but I'll let you come." He decided to not bother with her, thinking it would be a waste of time.

Cataluna, Joey and Kaiba exchanged glances with one another, feeling slightly embarrassed by Amaya's façade. They knew deep down she was too frightened to go.

A couple of seconds later the three realized Pluto and Amaya left without them. They ran after them as they sensed the compelling strength of darkness. Though it seemed Amaya and Pluto could not perceive the veil, they were merely trying to avoid showing fear of the true power of the strong entity within.

Tall, black towers loomed high upon the castle, the fortress looking impregnable, but Pluto had knowledge on how to get in. August gargoyle statues sat on the corners, each glaring deviously to those who would dare enter.

Pluto led everyone away from the front gates and went towards the back. He paused by a wall, placing his hand on a random spot, and a passage opened. Torchlight lit up as the half-demon entered first. He gazed at the decrepit path, but rest assured the others it was safe to use.

They continued their way, keeping silent to not attract attention from the outside. A dead end appeared, but Pluto simply pushed through the wall, and into a library.

Cataluna was amazed at how many books were stored in the shelves. "There must be tons of spells in these!" She cried happily. "And the numerous facts gathered ever since the universe was created."

"You must have read these when you lived here," Joey said.

Pluto shrugged. "What did you expect me doing instead? Kill mortals?" Joey took a step away from him.

The voluminous shelves were stacked with tons of texts, perhaps even containing ancient knowledge of the past. Looking around, Joey noticed a book that contained many pages within its bindings, even more than what the others had. Joey walked over and took the book out. It felt heavy under his hands and the title was written in hieroglyphs.

"Wheeler, what are you doing?" Kaiba asked irritably, strolling over to Joey.

The black book shook as Joey dropped it to the floor. Surprisingly it didn't open, and Joey picked it up carefully.

"I'm taking this," Joey said, holding the book to his chest.

"Fine with me. I just hope you know how to interpret that language." Pluto replied. He edged nearer towards a door. "I think it would be better in your hands, but you must guard it with your life." With that spoken, Pluto exited out as the others went in too.

The corridor was dark yet little light was provided by the torchlight. The shadows cringed on the walls, consuming what was left of the light. A cold chill ran down Joey and Kaiba's spine as they were stepping closer to the dwelling of evil.

Cataluna held the Soul Sphere in her hands and the chain trembled within her grasp. The glowing orb brought some relief as darkness began to vanish.

A pair of large doors was just in the distance as everyone continued walking. In mere moments they were soon going to confront the ruler of the Underworld. There was a slight tinge of fear in Pluto; the intimidating threat his own mother said to him and the safety of his friends.

"Here," Cataluna said to Kaiba, handing him the Soul Sphere.

Kaiba gave her a puzzled look. "Why?"

"I entrust you and Joey to use it wisely," Cataluna explained, placing the item in his hands. "When Pluto, Amaya and I are fighting Keket, you and him must hurry to a circle similar to the one you used before."

Kaiba took the Soul Sphere and hid it inside the pocket of his trench coat. He made sure it was secure before Pluto pushed open the doors forcefully.

They went inside the chamber; covered in darkness. Though it seemed no one was occupying the place, the torchlight lit up as a figure stood on a grand throne. Her eyes laying upon both Pluto and Cataluna.

"I'm amazed you're still alive, Pluto," the woman said. She walked away from her throne and approached. The presence of Joey and Kaiba made her stop midway. "If these are the mortals from Earth, then I must have been in this castle for centuries. Their clothes are nearly incapable of surviving the cold climate."

"Mother, they don't belong in this era. They came from the future." Pluto corrected.

Keket grinned evilly. "So it would appear Ammon did split his soul in half."

"Pardon me? I don't understand." Cataluna responded. Although she could have sworn having heard the name before.

The grin on Keket's face grew. "Mortals, I demand to know what time period you came from."

"That's something I ain't gonna tell you!" Joey yelled.

"Foolish mortals! You think you can get out of here alive, my power exceeds over all the demons in this world!" Keket spat.

The room turned brighter as the flames ignited from the torchlight, making them bigger than before. The whole chamber was surrounded in unusual writings on the walls. The encrypted text was unknown to either Joey and Kaiba. Beside the throne was the circle that Cataluna spoke of to them.

The only problem was bypassing Keket long enough to cross and get back to the present. If it were easier said than done, the obstacle standing between them would have to be a weak demon, but in this case Keket was no exception.

The demon ruler glared at them, her entire figure was shown in the flickering fire. A long black cape was draped over her black gown. At first she didn't look like a demon, yet the fact Pluto knew Keket was concealing her wings under her cape. Those so-called blood-red orbs Keket known as eyes pierced down on her son, thirsting to kill him.

"As I said, Pluto, if you ever return here you will die." Keket sniggered. "And you, Cataluna, will meet the same fate as him. A sorceress like you can never win the love of my son. He's a demon, my flesh and blood."

"Lady, you have serious problems." Kaiba commented, smirking at Keket.

"Gee, we could be filming a remake of the movie _Psycho_." Joey whispered.

Amaya blinked in confusion. "What's a movie?" She asked.

"Um, if you manage to live for millions of years, you'll find out." Joey answered. _Of course by that time you'll just be a little brat with a crush on Kaiba's brother._

"Pluto," Cataluna tried to get his attention. "Are weapons ineffective on Keket?"

Pluto nodded in response. "Only magic can damage her," he sighed. "I don't understand why. My mother seems immortal."

_Or she could be a Guardian._ Kaiba thought. He noticed that Keket had suddenly disappeared. "Where is she?"

Keket's laughter echoed in the chamber. "No one will leave here!" She declared. "This is where you mortals will meet your end, and Ra and Mesenet will have no hope of the two of you returning to your time."

"How does she know?" Joey shouted. The book he held began glowing. "Could she have -" His sentence was cut off.

"I existed during the years when the Phoenix Dragons ruled," Keket began, appearing from the shadows. Her black cape was unveiled to reveal her demon-like wings, and to Joey and Kaiba, Keket resembled a Guardian. "Those creatures were fools when they created me and their first three servants. Osiris banished me to the Underworld and I have remained here for what seems like an eternity."

"You want to get out, don't you!" Pluto roared, clenching his fists. "My father, you lured him here!"

"Indeed, my son," Keket complied, closing her eyes. "I simply seduced him, unlike his two brothers Horus and Skyros. After he changed to serve the darkness we… fell in love, and then I had you…" There was a hint of remorse as she finished her last sentence.

"Touching," Cataluna said sarcastically. "So where is Pluto's father?"

Keket frowned. "Dead," she answered. "Where he is now, you will join him!" She raised her hand in the air as fire rained down, heading towards them.

Joey and Kaiba escaped safely as Cataluna, Pluto and Amaya managed to dodge the attack. A crater-like burn appeared on the floor. If Keket's assault did hit them no one would have been able to survive. The chamber began to feel hot as if they were in the very depths of hell. The unfortunate part was confronting the devil which was Keket.

A demonic aura emitted from Keket shrouding herself in darkness. Keket had everyone where she wanted, and now she was set to finish them off.

"Pluto, I will not destroy you if you decide to be at my side and kill these intruders," Keket offered.

Pluto stared at his mother remorsefully. "You witch, your attempts to drown me in the darkness will not work," he replied. "What's the point to killing? I only feel repentance in the end…"

"Pluto almost sounds… human." Joey felt awkward saying that. "It's strange how he will become evil anyway."

"Something must have happened to cause that." Kaiba deducted. "Unless…"

Without warning, a wall of fire spewed from Keket's hand and was aimed at Joey and Kaiba. The two were able to summon Thoth and Shu to protect them. The Neo Guardians produced a shield that deflected the attack.

"So they have returned," Keket mumbled. "It's been long since I last seen you, Shu and Thoth." The Neo Guardians glared at her, making her disenchanted. "I guess you two are not in the talking mood at all. A simple hello would have been fine."

Shu stretched out his arms in front of him and created blades of wind. He projected it towards Keket and the attack passed right through her.

"How rude! After all we've been through, you just try to kill me!" Keket spat irritably.

"They have a spiteful attitude to her, "Joey said, gazing over at Thoth. The thought that the Neo Guardians knew Keket made Joey feel slightly unwell.

"Mother," Pluto said, standing behind her. His eyes were covered under the shadows. "I want the pleasure of killing you myself. You caused nothing but pain to everyone, and I can't stand it!"

The aura Keket emanated was disappearing as Pluto's body was surrounded in darkness. The intensity of his power drew back Thoth and Shu to block anything that might harm Joey and Kaiba. Cataluna and Amaya were moving towards the wall to avoid being hurt.

"Pluto, you can't do this!" Keket screamed. She was unable to move, realizing Pluto immobilized her. "You're making an awful mistake! No one will accept you, not even your family!"

"Dammit! Shut up with your lies! I have no other family!" Pluto protested, releasing the energy he had stored.

A destructive blast erupted from within the chamber as Joey and Kaiba were pushed vigorously to the walls. Their bodies pressed onto the cold stone and they tried to see if Cataluna and Amaya were all right. They found the two holding each other from being blown away, and Cataluna had created a barrier to protect them.

Thoth and Shu tried their best to prevent Joey and Kaiba from getting hurt. The Neo Guardians noticed that the attack finally diminished and the chamber was satiated with smoke.

Cataluna lowered down her barrier as she looked around for signs of Pluto. "No…" She gasped, running through the thick fog of debris.

Everything began to clear as two shadows appeared from the smoke. Cataluna held Pluto in her arms, tears flowing from her eyes. Keket was nowhere to be seen which meant Pluto succeeded in destroying her.

The Neo Guardians returned to their original state as cards as Joey, Amaya and Kaiba stared sorrowfully at Cataluna. They walked over slowly, and Cataluna saw them.

"Cataluna…" Pluto moaned. He opened his eyes and smiled at her.

"You idiot!" Cataluna slapped him on his face. "I thought you were dead!"

Joey and Amaya stepped away from them, shocked by Cataluna's reaction. They couldn't believe how much she would have missed Pluto if he did die. Joey watched Kaiba go over to the circle on the other side. He decided to follow, carrying the book in his arms.

"Okay. I get the idea," Pluto said in defeat. He stood up, but staggered back once he felt pain in his right leg. His body was bruised all over, but he could heal himself quicker since he was half-demon.

"I think it's time for them to leave," Amaya pointed to their time traveling companions.

"Yes, they are needed in their time." Cataluna agreed. She helped Pluto walk over to Joey and Kaiba.

"Did'ya come here to say bon voyage to us?" Joey asked.

"Listen," Pluto replied, looking down. "In your era, if I… somehow become evil. This book and the Soul Sphere will assist you. The book holds many secrets and the Soul Sphere has the ability to reveal one's true form. Use them wisely."

"Bye, mortals," Amaya said cheerily.

"I pray that this experience has taught you two something," Cataluna said.

"It has…?" Joey responded in a confused manner.

"Let's go, Wheeler." Kaiba grabbed him, and they stood right on the circle.

Shining light bordered them as they watched Pluto, Cataluna and Amaya on the other side. The scene grew darker and darker as the light swirled around them, taking them back to their time period. As it died down, Joey and Kaiba landed on soft ground, with their eyes closed.

The both of them didn't even wonder how the portal led them to the present, but soon enough a voice called out to them. That voice was Fiona's.

Joey was the first to open his eyes as he gazed at Fiona looking at him curiously. Kisara and Khepri were nearby, pleased that Joey and Kaiba had returned safely.

"Well, it seems I knew exactly where they were supposed to be," Fiona jeered confidently.

"And you can't even find your way through the village." Kisara added.

"Did you have to say that, in front of them!" Fiona shouted angrily.

Khepri ambled towards Joey and Kaiba. She smiled brightly at them, but also caught sight of the book in Joey's hands. Her eyes flashed instantly without either of them knowing.

"I see you retrieved the book that was lost for eons," Khepri said, taking the heavy book away from Joey. She traced her fingers along the hieroglyphs and turned her back. "We should head back. You two can tell us what knowledge you have gained from the past on the way." She then advanced towards the village.

Joey stood up, glancing at Fiona. "You were the one who activated the portal, right?" He questioned.

"Yeah, I realized that if you used the same one in the shrine, it wouldn't work, so that's when I became worried," Fiona explained. "I had to call over Chronos so he could help. He is Guardian of Time after all. He told me there was another way you two could get back, but he was prohibited from going into the past of the Underworld."

Kisara helped Kaiba to get on his feet and start walking. She was happy he returned in one piece. She wouldn't believe it if he was killed while in the past, and yet she knew he would come back alive. The young woman kept her eyes on Kaiba, dazedly staring at his face.

"How was it?" Kisara inquired.

Kaiba paused. "That wretched woman!" He spat. Kisara leaned a bit from him. "Sorry, I couldn't comprehend what she said to me and Joey. She knew about the Phoenix Dragons."

Khepri overheard them charily. _Keket… So, after all these centuries you have still not forgotten, and even tried to kill the Guardians when they were young in this time,_ she thought. _Even your own son…_

The book she held began glowing the closer they were near to the village. Where they just were, was the same area Keket's castle was located before the Underworld became separated, but not during the time Kaiba and Joey were in. There was more to the past that they didn't know occurred, and they were bound to find out.

* * *

Author's Notes: And now, the synopsis:

With Téa on the side of the Beasts of Chaos, Yugi and his friends have no choice but to fight her. Joey and Kaiba have yet to return, and they have all that Yugi needs to uncover the true identities of his enemies. The Beasts of Chaos are losing their patience and they want to get rid of Yugi so they can accomplish their goal. What could they be scheming? On the next _Struggle of Chaos_ - Chapter 19: The Path to Destruction


	19. The Path to Destruction

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Nick who belongs to Linkin-Phoenix.

* * *

Chapter 19: The Path to Destruction

The chaotic event had left Yugi and Nick scarred after they witnessed Téa's betrayal. It had to be her; their closest friend they'd known for years. How could they had been so blind after all this time? The answer was right in front of them, the Beasts of Chaos changed the person Téa was.

The Beasts of Chaos planned this from the beginning, no doubt. They were willing to do anything that was in their power.

Deception.

Destruction.

Dominance.

Their methods of destroying Yugi and any other opposition that would go against them. It was only a matter of time until all of their plans came into play.

Yugi, Nick, Stella and Nanook were overlooking the city from a rooftop building, awaiting the arrival of Horus. Although Yugi and Nick were going back to New York, Stella and Nanook had to resume the job they were originally assigned.

The wind blew softly as sparks of lightning appeared out of thin air. A vortex opened, and Horus leaped out and landed on the floor. Moments later the vortex sealed itself.

The Holy Guardian stared at Yugi, noticing his depressed mood. The others were in the same state as he, and Horus perceived that something was wrong. Realization hit him, he recalled Téa went with Yugi, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Stella, Nanook, you are free to complete the duties that were imposed on the both of you," Horus said.

Stella and Nanook bowed respectively towards Horus and then they waved their farewells to Yugi and Nick. They made sure no human saw them and once finding the close was clear, they took flight into the sky.

Horus looked back at Yugi and Nick. Closing his eyes, he sighed. "I believe your other friend is not coming."

Yugi shook his head away from them. "She's no longer the friend we used to know…"

"It's bad enough the Beasts of Chaos got away, but Téa went with them!" Nick yelled. "Why did it had to be her?"

"Foes of the Guardians will always attempt at choosing their 'perfect puppet' and reshaping them into deceiving us," Horus explained. "My daughter had foreseen firsthand of this with her visions before the Final Battle, but none of her brethren believed her. All except Yukai."

"And the Beasts of Chaos choose Téa," Yugi replied furiously.

"Their 'mindless doll'," Horus responded. "The Millennium Items…"

Nick nearly jumped when he heard the mentioning of the Millennium Items. "The Millennium Rod, that has to be it!"

"But Yukai has it," Yugi protested. "Unless…"

"I think Jupiter and Saturn have their own tale to weave," Horus said, activating a portal in front of him.

They stepped in as the vortex closed the way to their destination. Black-purplish clouds circled around them as light penetrated through, allowing them to exit. They fell out and dropped to the ground, feeling the cold, dead grass.

Yugi opened his eyes and gazed at his surroundings. The snow from the blizzard was nearly gone, but the cold climate remained. He shivered from the chill in the air and stood up.

Nick was already standing, beginning to dislike the weather. He shuddered once he felt the chilly breeze. "I should have expected that it would be winter here."

"Try living here your entire life," Jupiter's voice came from behind him. Both Yugi and Nick turned around and faced her. "Where's Horus?"

"Just the Guardian we've been looking for," Horus responded, approaching them.

Jupiter eyed him suspiciously." I thought Téa was with you."

Nick shook his head away from her.

"Maybe we should go inside. It's freezing out here." Yugi interrupted, breathing in the cold air and exhaling, his breath forming small particles of smoke.

"I see you can't handle this weather." Jupiter remarked, trying to suppress a laugh while she noticed Nick was shivering. Sighing, she proceeded toward the door in the second house.

The door suddenly flew open as a distressed Sephora peered her head out. She caught sight of them and allowed Jupiter inside. Sephora would had asked where Téa was, but Jupiter murmured a few words to her and entered the house.

Glancing back at the others, Sephora's eyes widened when she saw Nick. She blinked a couple of times, attempting to adjust her vision, and yet she was seeing perfectly fine.

Yugi puzzled at Sephora's antic, realizing how confused she looked. "Sephora, are you all right?" He asked.

"Hmm, what?" Sephora replied, lost in her thoughts. "Oh, it's just…" A hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.

"So you're Yugi Mutou," a feminine voice said as a black-haired woman stepped outside.

"And who are you?" Nick questioned.

The woman smirked. "I'm Venus, Guardian of Metal." She introduced.

"No, known as Miss Pushy Guardian!" Sephora snapped, shoving Venus out of the way.

"What did you call me?" Venus said back.

"You are! Just because you're a professional doctor doesn't mean you can push around Yukai's fiancée!"

Horus ignored the two feuding Guardians and went straight inside. Nick and Yugi followed and left them to dispute on their own.

Jupiter stood by the doorway, looking embarrassed. "Those two never shut up." She commented.

Horus searched around, trying to locate Saturn. He would ask Venus questions later since the argument didn't seem likely to end soon. Sensing his sister's presence, Horus turned his back away from Nick and Yugi, and stared at Selene.

"Saturn's in the other room, but I don't think he wants to talk right now," Selene warned, avoiding her brother's eyes. "He doesn't seem to be feeling well."

Jupiter nodded curiously. She walked away and disappeared into the hallway.

"They must know." Horus deducted, watching her leave.

"Selene, where are Mai, Rebecca, Serenity, Atem and Hathor?" Yugi inquired.

"Hathor?" Nick said, unfamiliar with the name.

"You didn't tell him?" Selene asked.

"Hathor is my and Rebecca's daughter." Yugi explained. Nick just looked on in confusion, trying to process the information.

"Like I believe that." Kiki whispered, hiding in the same hallway Jupiter went into. She, Koji and Mokuba were there the entire time, overhearing what the others were saying.

"So the Guardians do know something." Mokuba mused.

"Just what exactly are they hiding?" Koji replied.

Kiki leaned her back to the wall. "The Beasts of Chaos… What do they look like?" she pondered. "We're going to need to do more research." Kiki went further into the hall as Mokuba and Koji followed.

Yugi and Nick headed into the living room where they found the rest of their friends. There were no signs of either Jupiter or Saturn within the room. Selene and Horus entered, noticing they had to now find the two missing Guardians.

"I thought Saturn was just here." Selene said, astounded he wasn't with them.

"He certainly has a bad temper," Mai replied. She crossed her arms in disgust. "He seemed very upset about something."

Yugi looked around the room. "Where are Hanasaki and Miho?"

Before any of them answered, both said people appeared and were surprised to see Yugi had returned. They were unfamiliar at all with Nick, and they realized Téa wasn't with them.

"Where's Téa?" Serenity queried.

"It's going to be hard to explain," Yugi responded. He hesitated before finally opting to tell the group about the recent incident. "She's no longer on our side…"

"Now I have a question: where are Joey and Kaiba?" Nick asked.

"In Elysium, Sephora sent them." Atem answered. He narrowed his eyes toward Nick. "Also Tristan is dead, murdered by one of the Beasts of Chaos." He didn't appear disturbed revealing that bit.

"And Joey's not going to be happy when he hears about the news," Serenity added. She lowered her head in melancholy. "Miho, Hanasaki and I came here just in case they may want to go after us next."

"I suppose that girl next to Rebecca is Hathor." Nick said, looking at them.

"Yeah." Yugi replied. "There's no way we can contact Artemis, Yukai or Pluto at all. It's like they disappeared."

"The creature that was in Adelaide, her name was Sekhmet, right?" Nick queried.

"Yes."

Horus decided to step in. "In Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet was created by Ra to kill those who opposed him," He walked into the middle of the room and continued speaking. "When Ra saw all the bloodshed, he tried to stop Sekhmet, but she wouldn't listen until he tricked her into drinking a goblet of wine that resembled blood because she enjoyed the taste of it."

"Afterwards Sekhmet became drowsy from the drink and rested. Once she woke up, she learned what she did was wrong and was soon known as Hathor." Selene finished the rest of the myth.

"I bet Sekhmet looks like a lioness as per the myth." Rebecca felt she had to interject due to her career as an aspiring archeologist.

Selene warmly smiled at her. "I see the humans here haven't forgotten the ancient stories of long ago. At least they haven't vanished away in the sands of time."

Yugi raised an eyebrow. "It's more than that, the Neo Guardians and the Beasts of Chaos are somehow connected," he mused. Yugi sat down on the chair beside him.

Hathor gazed at him worriedly. She was scared to say something to him, but the eyes of his friends had petrified her. The only way she could speak to her father was when they were alone.

The walls shook as the slamming of a door startled everyone. Sephora and Venus came into the room, looking displeased at each other. Probably neither of them won the argument they were in judging by the death glares on their faces.

"Ahem, I guess you didn't win." Jupiter said. She and Saturn stood by them.

Saturn appeared unease about something, diverting his eyes from everyone in the room. The way he acted to them was rather odd, but the Guardians took it as a normal thing that usually happened to him.

"Saturn." Horus spoke to him directly.

Saturn remained silent. His posture was still, not making any sudden movements at all. He continued to not stare at anyone, as if frightened over them passing judgment.

"Is he okay?" Serenity asked, starting to stand up.

"Um, he's just a bit uncomfortable about the recent events that transpired." Sephora replied.

"Meaning?" Mai urged.

Venus rolled her eyes. "Saturn gets this way. Nothing to be concerned!" She clasped her hands on his shoulder, irritating Jupiter. "This behavior has gone on for years, well ever since…" Jupiter nudged her, making her remain quiet.

"Sounds like you three are hiding something which has gotten your male companion silent," Horus stated, crossing over to them. "Maybe about the Beasts of Chaos."

Jupiter gasped. "What do you want to know?" she yelled. "I swear we didn't know what we were doing, but we were young and hardly knew of our abilities at the time!" Jupiter landed her knees and planted her palms flat on the floor in a bowing gesture. Venus and Saturn were nearly about to follow.

"Jupiter, Horus and I will not penalize you for what the other Guardians were responsible for years ago." Selene assured, gently prying her up.

"Horus, Selene, you mean they…" Yugi was unable to complete his sentence.

"Yes, we awoken the Beasts of Chaos from their slumber." Saturn said, gazing avidly at Yugi. "We didn't mean to but we had to… It was all a matter of time until we faced the enemy that made us go against Artemis a decade ago, and found out what we really were."

* * *

With the sun settling towards the horizon in Animus, darkness was hiding away, driven to dwell within the shadows until the light was finally gone for the day. Beneath the depths of the world, the Beasts of Chaos reunited with each other to confirm the news they had gained while in the Mortal World. None were very pleased with what each had to say.

"Horus lied to me!" Shesmu roared, changing from the creature's form to a human form. He stared down at the Millennium Ring with a bitter gaze. "We were idiots to not seek after that runt. He had the sword the entire time, right under our grasps."

"Calm down, Shesmu, it's not the end of the universe." Sekhmet replied, concealing herself in the shadows.

The Millennium Rod glinted in their eyes as the owner grinned evilly for their latest accomplishment. "Remember, we planned to control a certain 'puppet' to do our bidding, and now she has come willingly to us," He indicated to Téa who was standing still, lost in her thoughts. "It was only a matter of time until those fools realized what we had in mind, manipulating their little friend."

"Anhur, tell me, don't you want revenge for what Ra did to you?" Sekhmet asked curiously.

Anhur gritted his teeth in anger. He touched the scar slashed across his face in between his eyes. He clutched his fists tightly with scornful thoughts in his mind. "That sword is capable of killing any of us, but that's why we brought this girl with us," Anhur began, removing his hand from his face. "They can't kill us unless they want her dead."

"Apparently we left one mortal heartbroken." Sekhmet said, smiling deviously at them.

"Is it just me, or do you enjoy breaking apart lovers?" Shesmu questioned.

Sekhmet's smile grew into a frown. "You would never understand what I have been put through." She answered. _Mortals are feeble, nothing more than a tool to use,_ she thought to herself. _Something I should have learned a long time ago…_

"When will we confront my so-called friends?" Téa queried, looking at the three of them. She walked over and stood defiantly towards them.

"Patience." Anhur replied. He gripped the Millennium Rod tighter since he was surprised to see she might have overheard their conversation. "Who did you have in mind to get rid of?"

Téa's face grew dark. "Yugi. He always draws evil to him, and I never can lead a normal life because of him!" She spat.

Sekhmet lowered her eyes. "Perhaps I should work with her. We have the same goals, and you two can go on with the rest of the plans we made."

"Fine, but make sure she doesn't disobey anything you order her to do." Anhur advised. "The sun has set, we should move on while everyone in this world is asleep." He and Shesmu shifted into the shadows where they vanished.

Sekhmet and Téa were left alone until they too drifted away from their seclusion. As night dawned in Animus, daylight hours began in the Mortal World.

* * *

The sun was shining through the windowpanes of the living room as everyone in the room had lost a chance to get some sleep during the night. The Guardians themselves felt very weary from the lack of rest they had gotten, even though they were used to the hours they stayed up to for many years now.

"How could you awaken the Beasts of Chaos!" Serenity yelled to the Guardians.

Jupiter, Saturn and Venus nodded their heads in disgust. Sephora seemed surprised by what she was hearing from them. They hadn't told her anything about this new revelation.

"After all these years I have known you, you never told me or Yukai anything about this!" Sephora said aloud.

"Well," Jupiter replied weakly. "We didn't mean to but we thought we were done using the powers of the Beasts of Chaos. We needed them so we could defeat Keket who was our enemy before Apophis arrived."

Yugi looked at the sword he held onto. He stared at the metal gleaming in the sunlight. "But didn't you seal Apophis with this very sword?" He asked.

"I thought it seemed familiar to us." Saturn replied. "Both Artemis and Pluto used it, and that's when everything changed for us. We suddenly realized what we really were."

"Was this before or after Pluto and Mercury's mother committed suicide?" Yugi continued.

"Oh, that was after." Jupiter responded. "Then problems arose as their father became very violent to them that it was time for Mark to take them away and leave them under his care."

"Please don't tell Mercury we told you this. It would upset him a lot." Venus pleaded.

"All I want to know is how Artemis found you." Atem said. He stood up from his seat and looked out the window.

The Guardians exchanged glances with one another. They were confirming what they could remember from the past. The others waited for them to give a response.

"It's strange, but you're going to need to ask Matt about this." Jupiter said.

"You mean to tell us you have no clue how you met her?" Selene replied.

Jupiter blinked a couple of times before responding. "Hey, we never bothered asking how he did it when we met Artemis, and it was that Trinity leader and his two assistants who found her, not us," she explained. Jupiter turned her back away from them, disturbed by what she was saying.

"Fine. Where can we contact Matt then?" Yugi inquired, stretching out his arms.

Serenity, Mai and Atem stared at him with shock. They couldn't believe that Yugi was letting them go so easily.

"Yugi, are you sure you understand every word they said?" Nick asked, equally confused as the others.

"It's obvious they don't want to be reminded of the past, so instead they relied on other sources to help them out." Yugi said.

"The Trinity leader may be one of those sources we can go to." Horus replied.

Sephora strolled to Yugi, gazing sadly at him. "I'm sorry if I wasn't much of any help, but I'll tell you where Matt is and of the whereabouts of Kimberly and Rosemary."

Yugi nodded inquisitively at her. "I hope we do get the answers we're looking for."

"Partner, the Beasts of Chaos are probably one step ahead of you, this could be dangerous." Atem informed him.

Yugi faced the doorway, avoiding the Pharaoh. "Atem, this is important and I can't let this opportunity slip by me," Yugi's eyes met the crimson glance of Atem. "Plus, Téa's working for the Beasts of Chaos, we need her back or else she will be a slave for them all her life, and we don't want that to happen."

Serenity got off from her seat and ambled towards Yugi. "Let me go with you," she insisted. "You're going to need more help if the Beasts of Chaos show up, and you have only one Neo Guardian to protect you."

"She's right, you can't do this alone." Selene agreed.

"I'll stay here just in case Joey and Kaiba do manage to get back, unless they didn't kill each other by now," Mai offered. She noticed that Miho and Hanasaki were fast asleep, slumped in their chairs. "And I'll tell those sleepyheads where you have gone."

"What about Rebecca?" Serenity asked.

"I rather not have that girl go with us." Horus said irritably, stepping outside through the back door. Rebecca merely huffed and resisted the urge to retort back.

"What's wrong with him?" Nick questioned.

"Rebecca insulted Horus." Yugi answered. "You're not coming?" He noticed Nick's saddened look. "Right, Téa… You can stay if you want, it shouldn't take that long to find Matt and these two girls."

"I'm not coming with you." Atem said abruptly, rushing away from them and exiting through the hallway.

Yugi was about to say something until he saw Selene and Serenity leaving without him. He felt uncomfortable leaving his friends, and especially worried about what was wrong with Atem. The Pharaoh's behavior seemed apprehensive to him, but he had to leave knowing that a friend was in need.

Upon appearing outside, the sun beamed brightly on Yugi's face, announcing that this new day meant that he had to move on and worry after he had finished the objective he was set out to do. The mild cold breeze blew across his face, making him feel uneasy for what lied in his path, to his destiny, or to his destruction.

* * *

Author's Notes: For the myth mentioned in this story, just look it up and there are many similar versions to what was said by Selene and Horus. Now to the synopsis:

It's Joey and Kaiba's final day in the Elysium as they await upon the connection between the book they brought back from the past and the Beasts of Chaos. But as Khepri is set out to decipher the text, an unexpected arrival appears and demands the book. The only trouble is that he's a Guardian, and Joey and Kaiba have to fight him for possession of the book. On the next _Struggle of Chaos_ - Chapter 20: Ally or Foe?


	20. Ally or Foe?

Chapter 20: Ally or Foe?

The village was bustling with people as the evening arrived. The hazy sun descended closer to the horizon, bringing the dawning of the night. The weary travelers, better known as Joey and Kaiba, had returned from their time-travel experience to retrieve the Soul Sphere. It was in the past where they also brought back a mysterious book which might contain clues that they were seeking.

A light breeze blew across the leaves in the forest, creating shifty shadows in the darkness. There was an ominous silence within as Khepri led the way back to the village.

Her brown eyes glanced at the others, making sure she didn't lose them. The book was held closely to her chest, protecting it from ever leaving her sight. Khepri's long brown hair fell in front of her, shielding her face from view of the others.

Joey chatted with Fiona about the journey he and Kaiba embarked on. The Guardian seemed impress on how they met with ancient figures from the past; if weren't for them, Elysium would had never existed.

Observing them curiously, Kisara had wondered what Kaiba was thinking the entire time they walked. She sighed to herself, not wanting to annoy the CEO.

"Kisara," Joey called. The blue-haired woman looked at him. "Did anything happen while we were gone?"

"Not that I know of. Ask Fiona." Kisara responded.

Fiona blinked. "Don't try asking me, I wasn't in the Mortal World during your absence."

They finally approached the village, torchlight lighting the way as the sky grew darker. The villagers had begun to stay inside their homes and small shops were closing. The scent of spices and herbs wafted in the air, awakening everyone's senses to the smell.

Joey's stomach growled, aching for food. He hadn't eaten since the morning he left to go to Elysium. Despite how long he remained without hunger, he still had the energy to walk.

Khepri chuckled as she heard Joey's stomach. "Luckily for you, we have prepared dinner just in case," she said. "It has been a long day for the both of you."

"Relief…" Joey gasped.

Khepri headed into her home as they arrived to it. The others followed in and were amazed at the many interesting items that Khepri had. Two bookcases filled with literature, a table in the middle of the room also adorned with chairs next to it. Lanterns lined the corners of the room, lighting their way and two doorways led to other areas of Khepri's home.

The fire from the lanterns flickered in the windows, setting a cozy mood to the place. A small fireplace stood across from them, but it wasn't lit since there was already a source of light in the room.

Khepri laid the book on the table, which was engraved with the same seal that was in the shrine. She stretched out her arms, relieved from the burden.

"This is where you live?" Joey asked, astonished by her home.

"I am a sorceress, this is our way of life," Khepri answered. "I assume Animus is more diverse, with different cultures inspired from the Mortal World. Not like here, where the inhabitants chose a less-modern lifestyle."

"Um, why don't I get dinner that's in the kitchen?" Fiona interrupted, crossing over to the doorway. Her face was flushed red as if nervous about the conversation.

"From what I learned, Guardians are born and raised as warriors," Kisara explained, taking a seat. "To simply put it, they're not only treated as gods but also as protectors. A Guardian will go all out defending their patron city at any costs. The highest level a Guardian reaches is their demise."

"Like Selene and Horus, they're Holy Guardians," Joey said.

Khepri's eyes widened when she heard Horus' name spoken. She cast a look towards Kisara, then to Fiona, who entered the room with two trays she was carrying.

Fiona placed the trays on the table in front of Joey and Kaiba. She was careful to not drop anything to the floor and she sat down on one of the chairs beside Khepri.

Joey and Kaiba took their seats where Fiona left the trays, and Joey noticed that the bowl was filled with steaming stew. His mouth watered at the sight, but he tried to control himself from his hunger.

"Don't worry, we didn't put poison in it," Fiona assured. "We even added in some herbs Khepri cultivated herself."

Joey stirred the soup with a spoon and then lifted it up to his mouth to taste. Whatever herb Khepri included made the stew delicious and Joey eagerly ate.

"I knew you would like it." Kisara remarked, watching Kaiba eating quietly, unlike Joey who was chomping it all down.

While the two ate, Khepri grabbed the book on the table, placed it on her lap, and flipped through the pages. She stopped at a certain page that caught her attention. Reading it carefully, it was soon apparent she understood how to decipher hieroglyphs.

"This book has nearly everything you need to know about the past," Khepri said. "You did say you brought some scrolls from the Mortal World, correct?"

"Yeah, it's with us." Joey replied. He removed from his jacket the folded pieces of the scrolls and gave it to Khepri. He then resumed eating.

Khepri opened the scrolls and read through it. She referred back to the book to confirm the information.

"Interesting…" she mumbled, scrutinizing the pages. "If I interpreted this correctly, the Beasts of Chaos have a weakness, when they began to take orders by the Galactic Dragon. Nothing yet to how those people obtained their power."

"Anything about this?" Joey questioned. He finished eating and showed Khepri Ammon's card.

"The Hidden One…" Khepri read while looking at the card. She became shocked when she saw the Star Seal of Shesmu. "I think there is a way to remove this curse!"

"You know about this?" Kaiba yelled out.

Khepri nodded. "Kill Shesmu and the seal will be gone, allowing you to summon this creature," she answered. "You two are truly the reincarnations of Ammon." She cast a gaze of awe at the two.

"How come I never knew about this?" Fiona shouted angrily. The Guardian's wings furled in response to her agitation.

"The Millennium Guardians must be up to something…" Khepri said softly. "They seem to be concealing their ancient history, but why?"

"Khepri, maybe they don't want the others to know," Kisara suggested. "They are incarnations of the Galactic Dragon."

"We are…?" Fiona said in a bemused manner.

"You don't know how you were created?" Khepri asked.

"No… I don't even remember how I came to be this way. I guess the best way to describe it is we just started _existing_."

"Is that even possible? The Guardians being the descendants of the Galactic Dragon," Joey said.

"The Millennium Guardians are the true heirs of the Dragon Dynasty," Khepri replied. She stood up from her seat and carried the book in her arms. Staring out the window, Khepri gazed up at the starry night. "The worst that can happen is if all the members have truly abandoned their duties, but Skryos created the Trinity in order to prevent any of the other Guardians from ascending the throne."

"That's what's happening!" Joey shouted. He quickly got off his chair and walked up to Khepri. "The Millennium Guardians are gone and that's when the Beasts of Chaos arrived."

"And that is why I'm trying to find how one can use their power. It was said they were sealed for eternity in stone…" Khepri paused, observing the outside closely. "Oh no…"

Fiona picked up on the sorceress's worry and immediately rushed out the door, leaving it open for the others to follow. The expression on her face baffled everyone, though they had no clue to why she stepped out.

Kisara headed out as did the rest. She looked around for signs of Fiona, but to no avail. The dark night hid anyone who would had been watching them, and the wind blew harshly. There was a dead silence as everyone was alert of shady activity that might be going on.

Without any given moment, Khepri was taken by surprise and held captive in a being's grip. Her mouth was covered and she struggled in his grips. Her constant movements caught Joey, Kaiba and Kisara's attention, and they immediately turned around to confront the being.

He was hidden within the shadows with Khepri in his arms, and the book was dropped to the ground. His eyes shifted to the item and he attempted to grab it.

Suddenly Fiona appeared and tackled the figure to the ground. She caught Khepri and brought her to the safety of the others. Looking back, Fiona realized that the being had disappeared, but she whipped around and pulled him towards the light of the torches.

"You!" Fiona spat bitterly.

The being peered through the light, revealing long white wings similar to Fiona's. His black eyes were stunned when he saw her.

"A Guardian!" Kisara gasped.

"Kenji, what the hell are you doing here!" Fiona demanded. She grasped the collar of his typical Guardian outfit in annoyance.

"And he is supposed to be…?" Joey inquired.

"I'm Guardian of the West," Kenji responded. "The reason I am here is because those two are impostors!" He pointed to Joey and Kaiba.

"I don't know what you're hollering about, but I know full well I'm Seto Kaiba!" Kaiba was ready to punch out the intruder should he continue with his accusation.

"And I'm the one and only Joey Wheeler." Joey followed suit.

"Kenji, is your mind playing tricks again?" Fiona asked, raising an eyebrow. She managed to release her grip on him and motioned herself to Khepri.

Kenji's face frowned. "Those two are our foes in disguise," he explained. "Whatever they are after, don't give it to them."

"You're paranoid." Fiona commented. She assisted Khepri in standing up.

Khepri took the book away before Kenji found it and she glared daggers towards him. "Not this fool…" She groaned, placing her fingers on her temple.

Kenji noticed the book in her arms. "Hey, that book! I could have sworn I've seen it before…" he mused. "Wait, you had these impostors steal it from the sacred archives!"

"Okay, you're officially weird…" Fiona huffed, already becoming fed up.

Kenji glowered at her. "Then you're working with them, aren't you!" He yelled.

"What? I would never betray our kind!" Fiona argued.

"How about in the Final Battle?" Joey queried.

There was a sudden silence in the night as Fiona stood frozen in her position. Khepri and Kisara stared puzzled at her, wondering if Kenji was right. The Final Battle revealed a new side to the Guardians, when they were against each other. The Guardians fought for control of power, and the possibility of Fiona wanting the book would had meant she was part of the Guardian betrayal.

"Well?" Joey continued.

Fiona snapped out of her trance-like state and looked towards Joey. "No, I wasn't evil," she replied. She then glanced at Kenji. "Kenji, you forget two certain Guardians in your unit betrayed you. I was fortunate enough to pledge my allegiance to Artemis before anything happened to me."

Kenji gritted his teeth. "You lie! Most Guardians tend to be deceptive, and in order to know who should protect that book, I challenge those two mortals!"

"You're on!" Joey responded. He was pushed aside by Kaiba who had a determined look on his face. "What'ya do that for!"

"I'll deal with him myself," Kaiba said. "I call forth my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Kaiba held up his monster's card and a glowing light emanated from it. The light beamed high above the sky as roars echoed loudly. Long wings extended from the light, then the head of a Blue-Eyes came out, following its entire sheer body. The dragon descended towards the ground, landing beside Kaiba.

Kisara was amazed at the dragon. Memories flashed before her, ones that were of her past life in Egypt. She could see the same Blue-Eyes that was originally her Ka, how she protected Kaiba's past self from thieves that invaded his village, and finally her sacrifice to save Priest Seto from the darkness of his corrupted father in his mind.

Kenji simply stared at the Blue-Eyes. "I thought as much," he mumbled under his breath. "That dragon alone won't bring you victory! Its power doesn't even compare to that of a Guardian's - it will fall."

"Then prove it." Kaiba dared. He stretched his arm out, pointing to Kenji. "Blue-Eyes, attack!"

The white dragon roared and flew away, heading straight for Kenji. It opened its jaw wide and a beam of lightning was shot out. The attack became a sphere and hit Kenji.

The Guardian collapsed to the ground, feeling paralyzed by the attack. He got back up and smirked evilly.

"Is that all? I told you it would take more to bring down a Guardian." He taunted. "Now, it's my turn. See if you can withstand this!"

Kenji created an orb of black light and directed it at the Blue-Eyes. The dragon dodged it, but the attack surprised it from behind as Kenji ambushed. It became trapped within the sphere and could not get out. Struggling for freedom, Blue-Eyes struck the inside with a barrage of its attacks.

"Blue-Eyes can't get out!" Fiona said. "That ball will slowly engulf it, destroying it upon doing so."

"Kaiba, you need my help!" Joey yelled.

In an instant, a ray of lightning tore through the orb, releasing Blue-Eyes from its prison. The cause of the attack was none other by a different Blue-Eyes belonging to Kisara.

"Another dragon? How can that be?" Kenji mused. "If you're defending him, then I have no choice but to go after you too."

Black sparks formed in Kenji's hands as he targeted for Kisara's Blue-Eyes. He hurled his attack at it, but a huge fireball diminished it. The source of the deflection came from Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

"There's more where that came from, freak!" Joey shouted.

"This isn't over!" Kenji proclaimed, combining all the energy he had left.

"If we unite our dragons' powers, we may finish him off." Kisara suggested.

"It's worth a try." Joey agreed.

"Anything to get rid of this idiot." Kaiba complied.

The two Blue-Eyes and Red-Eyes joined together, generating their moves into one force. The lightning and flames grew into an energy sphere and they aimed it towards Kenji.

On the other hand, Kenji prepared to deflect their attack with his defense, which was the move he intended to destroy them with. He fired it, and it sped directly at the three dragons. The Ka had already shot their attack, and the two collided with one another. The white and red sphere encircled the one Kenji created and passed through easily.

Overcome with fatigue, Kenji was unable to escape and he took the attack. A blast erupted, and it pushed back everyone nearby. Smoke and debris covered the atmosphere as the two Blue-Eyes and Red-Eyes appeared unharmed.

"Did they succeed?" Fiona asked.

Khepri lowered her eyes. "That seemed too simple," she said. "A Guardian like him would have put up a better fight, but Kenji… He has to be up to something!"

As the smoke cleared, a lone figure stood in front of the dragons. Kenji was bruised and he looked as if he could continue fighting. His breathing was ragged and he stared down at the ground.

"Kenji, please stop," Fiona pleaded. "You'll get yourself killed."

"I won't quit until I know the truth!" Kenji yelled.

_"Is that all you are seeking?"_ A voice said out of nowhere.

Everyone examined their surroundings, yet they couldn't find where the voice came from. Joey and Kaiba felt a warm glow in their decks and they took them out to realize their Neo Guardian cards were the cause. Two orbs of light flew out of them and transformed into Thoth and Shu.

"Did they just talk?" Joey questioned in disbelief.

_"Guardian of the West, cease your battle, or else you will face the power Ammon and Skyros bestowed upon us."_ Thoth threatened.

"Who are you?" Kenji inquired.

_"Neo Guardians, sent to protect our masters,"_ Shu answered, _"and you have crossed that line."_

"You're telling me those two are not impostors?" Kenji continued. He blinked, wondering whether he really did make an error.

Thoth nodded. _"They're reincarnations of my old master, but his power has been locked away, perhaps for eternity."_

_"Our duty is to guard them from the Beasts of Chaos,"_ Shu faced Khepri. _"That book has secret knowledge never known to anyone. Why have you come here?" _This time addressing the Guardian.

Kenji cleared his throat. "I can't say who, but _he _will make an appearance when the time arrives," he explained. "He sent me to retrieve the book before it gets into the hands of the Beasts of Chaos."

Thoth and Shu gazed at Kenji carefully. They exchanged glances with each other as if agreeing to his statement. They both dispersed, and Thoth confronted Kenji. Shu went over and made sure the dragons didn't decide to eliminate Kenji.

_"We will let you go, but remember this warning: ever go after our masters again then you will have to face our wrath." _Thoth warned him. Kenji leaned back a little from him and stood transfixed as if frightened. _"You do understand?"_

"Of course I do," Kenji said. "I'll leave the mortals alone!" He turned his head, ashamed being reprimanded like a child.

Thoth and Shu looked towards Joey and Kaiba and nodded their heads pryingly at them. They disappeared immediately and returned back to their original forms.

"So, um… You two are going to the Mortal World, right?" Kenji asked feebly while scratching his head.

"That's what we plan, but who knows if Fiona knows how to open a warp tunnel," Joey said, glaring at Fiona.

Kenji sighed to himself and stared sadly at her. He closed his eyes and concentrated on producing a portal out of thin air. A hole peered through the dimension as Kenji completed his task.

"You made a warp tunnel? Why?" Joey asked suspiciously.

"Because I want to help," Kenji replied. He turned his back away from them. "We have no time to waste. My and your world will be gone if we don't get that book to Yugi, and fast. I was at Animus before I came here and there seems to be some conflict going on about who should control it. Uranus seems to have taken the job but other Guardians aren't liking that one bit."

"But shouldn't the Trinity take care of that dilemma?" Kisara asked.

"Yes, but the leader and his two companions have somehow vanished, without a trace," Kenji explained. "It's quite odd that they're gone, and the Millennium Guardians are too."

Khepri walked up to Joey and handed him the book. "Your friends need you. Perhaps the Holy Guardians will have better luck interpreting this than me."

"I'm coming!" Kisara said. Everyone faced her, looking shocked at her decision. "I know I may not be of help, but maybe knowledge I learned from here can assist."

"Fine, like I said we don't have much time!" Kenji jumped into the warp tunnel first.

"Fiona, you're staying?" Joey asked.

"I have my other priorities." Fiona replied, looking towards Khepri.

Joey leaped into the portal, following him were Kaiba and Kisara. They took one last look at Khepri and then they dived in. The portal closed, leaving Fiona and Khepri out on a open field.

The sun began to arise from the horizon as the sky itself was becoming brighter. The stars slowly disappeared and the wind stirred. The leaves flown about, showing Khepri and Fiona their way to the village.

"Hopefully it's not too late," Khepri said, walking towards her home.

Fiona trailed after, confused by her response. "Is the universe really close to being destroyed?"

Khepri shook her head negatively. "No, the arrival of an old foe." She answered darkly. The sorceress sensed another presence approaching them.

The figure revealed herself from the shadows, carrying a quiver full of arrows and a bow strapped around her right arm. Cataluna trained her eyes in the direction of the portal that had closed. "I sense an even greater danger for both Ra and Ammon, and Horus and Selene know who he is."

* * *

Author's Notes: I wasn't thinking much when I wrote the scene with Kisara summoned Blue-Eyes, but I was listening to the BGM called Kisara in Soundtrack Duel 4, so I guess that's where I got the idea from. Anyway, here's the next synopsis:

Joey and Kaiba's return back to the Mortal World may bring happiness to their friends, but Yugi, Serenity, Selene and Horus have left to find Matt, Rosemary and Kimberly to obtain information that they may know. As dark clouds ravage the skies of Los Angeles, they'll soon find out that the city holds an evil secret underneath. On the next _Struggle of Chaos_ - Chapter 21: Old Friends: The Road Back


	21. Old Friends: The Road Back

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Nick who belongs to Linkin-Phoenix.

* * *

Chapter 21: Old Friends: The Road Back

Cars packed the highways of Los Angeles as the sun rose high during the afternoon. The city itself appeared peaceful, though no mere mortal knew the dangers of its darker side. In the day, one might see normal people, but the night revealed its guise, an evil force was at work, determined to destroy the world of light.

A small spark cracked in the air, elevating up on an apartment building. Four figures appeared through a portal and stumbled to the floor. They looked around for any signs of being seen, and the close seemed clear.

"Why would two Trinity members be across this country from where the Guardians live?" Selene asked.

"You don't seem to make a fuss about where Yugi and his friends are living." Horus replied, glancing over the view from the rooftop.

"That's because I'm not familiar with this country. Or anything else on this planet."

"How are we going to find Kimberly and Rosemary in this city?" Yugi questioned. "Who knows where they could be."

"We have to start somewhere." Serenity responded. She headed towards a fire escape and went down.

Yugi, Selene and Horus followed her and took the fire escape to reach the ground level. A shadow began to move from its hiding spot, already on the move to trail them. It blended with the other shadows to conceal its true form.

* * *

Meanwhile two women were walking around an Hispanic neighborhood, the scent of spicy food wafted in the air. Fortunately they had eaten before crossing over to the community.

One of the women gazed up at the sky, noticing dark clouds hovering above them. "Did the forecast say we were expecting rain?"

"Of course not." Her friend said.

"Rosemary, this could be serious. I don't like the looks of this." The woman named Kimberly stated.

The two gaped their mouths in shock to see that the black clouds were a bad sign. They exchanged glances with each other, confirming what they had to do.

Kimberly faced Rosemary as they scanned their surroundings. "I doubt this is more than a little thunderstorm," Kimberly replied. "But I sense an even greater power approaching."

"It has to be those Guardians! They have control over natural occurrences," Rosemary wrapped her fingers around her hair in frustration. "They can never give us Trinity members a break!"

The sudden rupture of the earth created a huge crevice where the women were nearly standing. Cries echoed and car alarms blared, making for a maddening noise in the once peaceful neighborhood. With the sun blocked by the clouds, it was very dark to see where one stood.

The streetlights turned on, but their luminance was limited due to low circulation from the power source. It would be not long until the lights went off completely.

"Now what are we going to do?" Kimberly queried.

Rosemary looked around to make sure everything looked all right. She sighed in relief when she found they were out of harm's way. Her breathing became ragged as she sensed a presence nearby.

They realized the force seemed to surround them, the darkness shrouding them in its grip. Light was unable to penetrate the veil, and now they couldn't escape, knowing they were trapped. The inside grew colder and colder with each passing moment, the women's lives slowly being drained from them.

Suddenly something ripped through the barrier and released them. The shadows twisted about, rippling in agony and then disappeared. The basis of their rescue was unknown, but metal reflected in their eyes, barely allowing them to see.

"Are you okay?" Yugi's voice echoed in the distance. He withdrew his sword into the sheath that Horus had given him before departing.

Kimberly blinked a couple of times and stared directly at violet eyes belonging to Yugi. She nearly freaked out when Serenity, Selene and Horus appeared out of nowhere.

Rosemary took extra precaution as she looked at Yugi. She almost mistook him as some tri-colored beast that was sent to kill them.

"Are any of you either Rosemary or Kimberly?" Selene asked, approaching the women. She noticed the two were still somewhat shocked to move.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing." Kimberly interrupted, looking at the Holy Guardians. She and Rosemary stood up.

Rosemary and Kimberly slowly backed away from Selene and Horus. They recalled them to be Holy Guardians, more powerful than the Titans and Genesis put together, and they were also considered sacred figures. It was hard to believe at first, but they didn't imagine them to return to the world of the living.

"So, you two are the Trinity members we're looking for," Horus said, his eyes turned to both Rosemary and Kimberly. "Do you know the whereabouts of your leader?"

"We don't know!" Rosemary and Kimberly answered together. Both were shaking in fear.

"There's no need to be frightened of us," Selene assured. "We only came to get some answers before the Beasts of Chaos strike again. They must be here since this entire city is covered in their unbreakable shield." She saw the two women gasp when she mentioned the Beasts of Chaos.

"You do know something about them!" Yugi yelled. He walked over to them. "This is very important and we don't have any time to lose before they arrive."

"What? They were supposed to…" Kimberly blurted, but Rosemary covered her mouth.

"Tell us what you know!" Yugi demanded. He saw them eying him suspiciously and he turned around.

Long, sharp fangs protruded from the creature's snout, its claws ready to plunge themselves into Yugi. Sekhmet peered out from the shadows and she began to strike down Yugi with her claws. Her task was stopped as her deadly weapon clashed with Yugi's sword.

_"Your attempts to thwart our plans are becoming tiresome and distracting,"_ Sekhmet said, removing herself from Yugi. She stood on all fours, twirling her tail. _"You have not won yet, Ra, and now one of your own has come to work with us."_ The look on her face became devious. _"I sense a darker form present in your heart and soon the shadows will consume you."_

"Sekhmet, as long as I defend this universe, you, Anhur and Shesmu won't be able to succeed." Yugi replied.

Sekhmet shifted her eyes to the others that were accompanying Kimberly and Rosemary. Her stoic gaze caught their attention, and Selene took note of the creature's behavior.

The wind picked up gradually as Sekhmet drifted back into the shadows. The dim light of the streetlamps was the only thing that Sekhmet avoided. Her movements were fast, even from within the darkness, and then a powerful gust blew.

The attack was meant for Rosemary and Kimberly and they were unable to move from where they stood. The winds swirled around them and enveloped them to dodge the blows.

Yugi, in a panic, looked around for the women, but he wasn't sure if the force that took them was on their side.

"They just disappeared." Serenity said.

"Horus has saved them." Selene replied. She frantically searched every corner and she discovered that the gust of wind had transported them to a safer location, away from Sekhmet.

Yugi stared at her in astonishment. "Good, they weren't harmed." He then turned his attention towards Sekhmet who also disappeared.

"She'll be back." Horus stated darkly. He appeared behind Yugi, his hands had a fading glow from when he activated his move.

* * *

The mid-afternoon sun began to descend high atop the serene sky. The weather was still quite cold so not many people were outdoors. Most of the town residents, especially certain Guardians, impatiently awaited for spring to arrive.

Sephora sat in a chair facing the window of the living room, lost in her thoughts. Her eyes looked weary as if she hadn't slept for days. The sun reflected her red hair, which was no longer tied as a ponytail but was now straight and long.

She enjoyed the gentle warmth of the sun and she wrapped her arms around herself as she brought her legs upright from her seat. The rays of light reminded Sephora of how Yukai embraced her, kind and lovingly. If only she knew where he was.

"Hey, Seph," Jupiter said to her, a smile beaming on her face. The South Guardian shook her head. "You miss him, don't you?"

Sephora sighed. "I don't understand…" Tears fell from her eyes. "Yukai shouldn't have left! I love him and he loves me. Why does he not return?"

"Isn't another thing bothering you… like a particular mortal?" Jupiter queried. She raised an eyebrow, waiting for Sephora's response. "Come on. Perhaps Yukai will come back. I doubt he will ever forget his fiancée."

Sephora stared out the window. "Jupiter, who was that mortal that came here with Yugi called?"

"Oh, right, you two didn't get to know each other," Jupiter replied. "His name is Nick."

Sephora nearly toppled off her chair. "Would his last name by any chance be King?" Jupiter nodded as her answer. "Well, um, Jupiter, I'm going to the Pokemon World and tell the others where I am!" With that, Sephora stood up and hurried towards the front door where she exited.

Jupiter simply watched as Sephora left, then crossed her arms. "I wonder what's up with her."

"Jupiter, is Sephora here?" Venus rushed into the room.

"You just missed her."

Venus groaned. "Joey and Kaiba have returned, but they brought back Kenji." She said, sounding annoyed.

"God, anyone but him…" Jupiter closed her eyes, mimicking Venus' displeasure.

"What do you mean he left!" Joey yelled at both Miho and Hanasaki. He, Kaiba and Kenji were outside where they encountered the two addressed people. "Wait, why are you two here?" Joey blinked in confusion.

"Uh, you're not the only one." Miho replied, staring somewhat frightful while pointing behind him.

A hand grabbed Joey's shoulder and he turned his back to find Mai. The blonde-haired woman grinned at him, taking her hand away from him.

"Joseph, I see you came back in one piece," Mai said. She noticed the book he was holding. "Is that all you brought with you?"

Kaiba walked by and tossed Mai the Soul Sphere. "Does that answer your question?" He said groggily.

Mai glared back at the CEO. Then she caught sight of Kisara trailing behind him. "I guess he also brought a girlfriend." She remarked. "Careful, hon, that dragon's claws are sharp."

Kisara paused to look at Mai. "I do know that Seto's dragons are dangerous," she said. "I will tread cautiously, though."

"That girl is strange." Joey said. He returned his attention back to his friends. "Mai, are Serenity and Tristan here?"

Mai diverted his gaze. "Serenity went with Yugi, but Tristan…" She moved closer to him, trying hard to fight back tears. Suddenly she embraced herself on him. "Joey, he's dead!"

"No!" Joey shouted in disbelief, his eyes quivering. "Who killed him?"

"One of the Beasts of Chaos…" Mai bit the bottom of her lip upon recalling another detail. "And Téa…"

Joey took a glimpse from over her shoulder and he saw Nick standing by the back door. "What's he doin' here?"

Kenji came by Mai and Joey, staring at Nick harshly. "Isn't it obvious?" he said with a sly smile. "Téa is now with the Beasts of Chaos."

"How do you know?" Mai asked shockingly.

"News like this spreads quickly to the Guardians," Kenji explained. "I think that girl was better off without that mortal. He failed to protect her and now look at the consequences it caused."

Nick overheard every word Kenji spoke and he was not pleased about it. He walked over to them and glowered at the Guardian. "I couldn't help but hear all this nonsense that was coming out from your foul mouth," Nick said angrily. "I don't care about what you say and I don't need to be reminded of what happened to Téa!"

"King, you're an idiot. Accept it. If Gardner doesn't love you, then forget about her." Kaiba replied, approaching Nick. "You're too blind to see that the both of you are not meant to be together. Get on with your life, unless you prefer to die like you're supposed to be!"

Nick clenched his fist and swung his arm at Kaiba. His fist made contact with the CEO's face, and he collapsed to the ground. A furious look came upon Kaiba and he stood up, only to be held back by Saturn who appeared to stop the commotion.

Kaiba struggled, but the Guardian's strength proved too strong. He whipped around and tried to throw a punch at Saturn, and the Guardian stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Chill! You're only making matters worse for yourself." Saturn said.

Kaiba was breathing heavily, his eyes, a dark hue. He tried to calm down, but he couldn't resist glaring at Nick. He touched his face to find that his nose was bleeding. "Bastard." Kaiba muttered, and he walked away, entering the house along the way.

Saturn faced Nick, staring furiously at him. "Mortal, I insist you avoid Kaiba at any cost," he advised. "It's the only method I know to quell him since we used it with Pluto and Uranus. Those two had the bad habit of arguing and then fighting it out."

"But he should have never stepped in and said those things," Kenji interjected. "The worst that could happen is if another mortal perished."

"Maybe Kaiba was right. I was better off dead." Nick said, heading indoors.

"Nick!" Mai called, but Joey stopped her and shook his head in disagreement.

As Nick entered the house, he found Hathor standing beside him, looking worried. He noticed the girl seemed lost in her thoughts until her violet eyes met his.

"The one responsible for your rebirth will soon open the path to your demise," Hathor stated. "Misery consumes your heart but you can't keep your hidden feelings bottled up. A True Duelist would let nothing keep him down." Hathor proceeded to the hallway to whence she disappeared.

_That girl has some good vocabulary to say that much for a six year old,_ Nick thought. _Must be a Guardian thing considering she is Yugi's daughter._ He heard the sound of a door slamming and footsteps coming from the hall. Nick was certain it had to be Kaiba so he went in a different direction to evade him.

Kaiba had cleaned himself of the blood that covered his face and he kept his stark gaze as he walked. He gritted his teeth, still seething mad for what Nick did to him. His white trench coat billowed with each step he took and he stepped back outside, but Kaiba glanced over his shoulder to see if someone was spying on him. There was no one watching him and he went out.

Hathor took a deep breath after she discovered that Kaiba left. She didn't like his behavior.

"Overwhelmed with darkness in his heart so his fate be that of his black soul," Hathor whispered to herself. "Only a loved one can break him of his ice mask that he hides behind."

Hathor then went straight to the living room, welcoming the warm light of the sun from the windows. The shadows in the corners gave her an uncomfortable feeling. She lifted her hand over her eyes to shield them from the bright rays as she neared the window.

"Ra's light is slowly weakening; the deeper he seeks for answers, the more questions shall come," Hathor continued. "The truth is hidden by the moon's shadow mask."

Rebecca emerged from the hallway and found Hathor by the window. She narrowed her eyes audaciously and strolled to her.

"You shouldn't get too attached to your father's friends," Rebecca suggested. "Some just don't have manners."

"Maybe you're the one who should take that advice," Hathor said back. "After all, you're living in a façade."

Taken aback by her words, Rebecca could only wonder whether Hathor was good at knowing someone just by looking at them. Still she tried not letting it bother her as she had her own mission to fulfill and promptly put aside what Hathor said.

Kaiba met up with the others in the same spot they were after he headed inside. He almost fell back when Kisara popped up in front of him, smiling.

"Why are all of you still outside?" The CEO asked.

"Saturn just told us Sephora went off on her own," Mai explained. "She was the one who sent you and Joey to Elysium."

"Mai, where's Atem?" Joey questioned, noticing the Pharaoh was not around.

"Well, _your Highness_ has been locked away in his room for nearly the entire morning after Yugi left." Mai had intended the touch of malice in her sentence. She wasn't very comfortable being around Atem's presence.

"That doesn't seem like him." Joey replied. He looked up at one of the second floor windows and for a moment thought he saw Atem, glaring viciously at him. "Mai, is he feeling all right?"

Mai glimpsed at the window, but found no one there. "Joey, what are you talking about?"

"Nothing." Joey dismissed as he realized that Atem was gone. He turned to Kenji, and the Guardian nodded. "Can you take us to where Yugi went?"

"I could but…" Kenji stared at the ground. He was ordered to keep Joey and Kaiba here and he had to follow it.

Joey gazed at him in disbelief. "Kenji, Yugi and my sister are in danger, and that thing," He pointed to the Soul Sphere Mai was holding. "is the only way to fight the Beasts of Chaos."

Kenji sighed in defeat. "Fine." The Guardian shuddered, thinking over the consequence of this action. "We must move quickly then."

Joey took the Soul Sphere from Mai and alerted Kaiba's attention. He hoped that the very item in his hands could assist them, perhaps the reason Khepri sent them to the past.

* * *

The group of mortals and Guardians paced down the empty streets, searching for Sekhmet. They were practically going on a wild goose chase, carefully examining the shadows.

"This is ridiculous!" Serenity uttered. She fell to her knees with exhaustion. "That monster could be anywhere!"

Yugi stopped and ran back to her. "Serenity, we have to keep moving!" He urged, helping his friend get to her feet, and then he heard laughter from behind them. "Someone followed us!"

"Well, I didn't expect to see you so soon, Yugi," Téa's voice came from the shadows. She appeared, grinning maliciously at everyone. "You really think Sekhmet was escaping from you? I think not."

"Téa, you know where she is, tell us!" Yugi spat. He placed his hand around the hilt of the sword, preparing for the likelihood of an ambush.

Téa continued to laugh evilly.

The ground shook and peering from the shadows was Sekhmet. The asphalt began to crack from underneath everyone and suddenly split in half, causing a huge quake. Everyone tried to move to safer ground, but Yugi and Serenity were less unfortunate as they fell down the chasm.

"Sekhmet!" Selene yelled intensely. A white aura shrouded her body as the creature stood a bit back, sensing the immense power Selene held within her. "You have just crossed the line with me, and now, you and I will finish what we haven't finished centuries ago."

Sekhmet snarled at the Guardian, showing no fear of her. _"Fool, even in that pathetic state you can't defeat me, nonetheless have Ra help you."_ Sekhmet taunted.

Below the ground, Yugi was slightly awakening from his unconscious state and he tried to stand up. He felt pain shoot from his left arm, but he still stood up. He looked around and found Serenity lying beside him, her eyes closed.

"Serenity." He whispered to her feebly.

Serenity slowly opened her eyes and lifted her head up. Her body was bruised by the fall, but she had the strength to get up. She smiled happily when she saw Yugi.

"Where are we?" She asked, unfamiliar with their new surroundings.

"These must be the sewers." Yugi confirmed. "But how do we get out?"

* * *

Author's Notes: I haven't much to say about this chapter so I'll just close this with a preview of the next chapter.

Joey and Kaiba are on their way to L.A. where Selene has challenged Sekhmet to fight her in place of Yugi. The Holy Guardian has tricks of her own as the battle rages against two opposing forces. With the Soul Sphere in Joey's possession, what could it possibly reveal about the Beasts of Chaos, and where could Matt have gone? On the next Struggle of Chaos - Chapter 22: Revelation: The True Identities of the Beasts of Chaos!


	22. Revelation: The True Identities of the B...

Chapter 22: Revelation: The True Identities of the Beasts of Chaos!

Water dripped from the underground pipes as darkness surrounded every corner inside the sewers. The tunnels seemed endless and one could easily get lost. The only trouble was escaping the dreadful place and returning to the land above.

The sound of splashing echoed in the tunnel Yugi and Serenity entered in, and a small light lit their way. The simple glow from Serenity's mini flashlight was all they could use for now. They were cautious to not trip on any wiring that might have fallen during the quake. Luckily they were not emitting any electricity or else Yugi and Serenity would not had been able to cross.

"There has to be a way out of here." Yugi mused, looking up at the walls.

"If we find a manhole, maybe we can use it to get out," Serenity suggested. She glanced over at him, noticing his saddened gaze. "Is something troubling you?"

"How did we ever get ourselves into this?" Yugi questioned. "If the Guardians never entered our lives perhaps we could have lived peacefully. I often think that maybe we were better off without them."

Serenity remained silent. She knew the only reason Yugi said those things to her was because he felt responsible for Téa's betrayal and the disappearance of Artemis. She shook her head, wondering how their lives would be if none of this had ever happened.

"Yugi," she called as he looked at her. "I think I understand how you feel. Sometimes I wish that my parents didn't divorce or my dad was an alcoholic. Then… Joey and I would have stayed together."

"He does really care about you," Yugi said. "When I first met him, Joey seemed like a bully to me, but he only wanted to teach me to be a man. I guess after I told him we were friends, he began to change."

Serenity shrugged. "That's Joey for you."

Yugi stopped and looked up at the ceiling, finding a manhole. He searched for a ladder attached to the wall and he indicated to Serenity where to point her flashlight.

They managed to find one just underneath the manhole and they began to climb it. Cautiously, Yugi took the flashlight and allowed Serenity to go first. Serenity grasped the handle securely and climbed each step, reaching the top. She lifted the lid up and scanned the surroundings to see if she was above ground.

She stepped out and kneeled over the hole. "Your turn." Serenity said to Yugi.

Yugi turned off the flashlight and placed it inside his pocket. He climbed the ladder, and moments later arrived to ground level. Sighing contently, Yugi couldn't help but stare at his arm which he thought he had injured.

"What's wrong?" Serenity asked.

"My arm, it feels better." Yugi answered. "Could it be I'm truly becoming a Guardian?"

Serenity nodded curiously. She took his hands, realizing they were shaking. "Yugi, if this is true then why did it take you years to know your new abilities?"

"It must the age, that has to be it!" Yugi concluded. "The Guardians mentioned that their powers didn't grow until they reached older age. Sometimes they lost control, but they learned how to contain it."

"The same may happen to Hathor," Serenity reminded. "Yugi, do you really believe Rebecca is her mother? It's like Hathor hates her."

"No! I didn't say anything about this, but I told the others already!" Yugi protested. Serenity's eyes widened. "I did, Serenity. That's the reason why Rebecca left, because I made her pregnant."

* * *

Meanwhile Selene and Sekhmet stared down at each other, ready to attack. They didn't even make any movements the entire time, and one of them had to strike sometime.

Horus looked back at Selene and Sekhmet and then faced his remaining companions. "You two should head to safety so Selene can fight that monster."

"But -" Rosemary was cut off.

"You want to live or not? If you go, beware of Sekhmet's allies. I sense they are around," Horus warned. He glanced at Téa, ignoring the smirk on her face. "If possible, try to find Yugi and Serenity. Any luck contacting your leader?"

As both proceeded to run off, Kimberly answered, "No, we can't." She arched her head away from him.

"I'm sure he may come," Rosemary responded. "We just don't know when…"

The earth quaked once more as everyone tried to keep their balance. Sekhmet and Téa were unharmed by the tremor as if they were the ones causing them.

Selene took her chance as she conjured a ring of light from her hands. She released her attack, aiming for Sekhmet. The ring encircled Sekhmet, sealing her within the pure glow.

Suddenly Sekhmet emanated a black aura, breaking the seal. She roared loudly and tried to strike Selene down with her claws. The attack missed when Selene moved out of the way.

Selene glared at the beast harshly. "If only my powers were not limited."

Téa snickered. "That's what you get when you revert into the pitiful state you are now," she jeered. "A Holy Guardian such as yourself will never defeat Sekhmet, and without Yugi, you're finished."

_You'll regret the consequences you have to pay for changing sides,_ Selene thought, gazing at Téa.

* * *

Yugi and Serenity continued finding their way back to where the others were. They searched every alley to no avail. The whole city was like a maze to them, causing them to be lost in the endless catacombs which were the buildings. The darkness was everywhere, covering the ever-shifting shadows.

"This is impossible!" Serenity shouted, Ma'at's card fell out from her jacket pocket.

Yugi examined the area they were in, realizing they came by it before. "The Beasts of Chaos must be confusing us, preventing an exit."

"If only we could see which way we're going." Serenity noticed her card glowing as did Yugi's.

The cards quickly shot out a beam of light, shaping into Set and Ma'at. The Neo Guardians strengthened their light like a beacon at sea.

Rosemary caught a glimpse of the bright light and noticed they were going in the wrong direction. "That has to be them!" She exclaimed.

"Fine, you two stay here while I go find them." Horus said and rushed after the source.

He followed the shining light, hoping that it was Yugi and Serenity. He ran down the street where the light came from and was taken by surprise when he spotted Set and Ma'at who were poised to attack until they realized who was coming down their way.

"Horus!" Yugi called out, waving his hand in the air to catch his attention.

"The others are coming. We should wait here." Horus said, approaching Yugi and Serenity.

And right on time, Yugi noticed Rosemary and Kimberly running towards them. "There they are!" Kimberly cried out as she saw them. She was thrilled to see that the two survived the fall earlier.

_"What are those two Trinity commanders still doing here?" _A voice rasped in the shadows, the Millennium Ring glowing.

_"Quit complaining. Sekhmet is dealing with Horus and Selene, but she thought she could handle them all to herself._" His comrade replied. _"Maybe we should pay little Ra a visit."_

_"Very well, we're not doing much just watching this." _The two beings withdrawn into the shadows and the darkness transformed into Anhur and Shesmu. The two beasts roared, announcing their arrival and alerting Yugi.

"What was that?" Rosemary asked. She peered at the sky and her eyes broadened when she saw the huge red dragon known as Anhur.

"Yugi, what will we do?" Serenity inquired.

"Wait patiently." He said.

Everyone stared at him baffled, wondering what he meant. The wind blew and a vortex appeared out of thin air in front of them. It opened as three people jumped out from the other end. They landed on the asphalt and the portal immediately closed.

"Joey!" Serenity cried happily, running to him and embracing.

"Seren, can I breath…?" Joey said, nearly choking from his sister's hug.

Serenity let go of him and noticed Kaiba and another Guardian beside him. "Who's he?"

"We'll do introductions later because a gigantic dragon is about to barbeque us!" Kenji yelled, pointing at Anhur.

Anhur swooped down and controlled his flight towards the ground. He opened his jaws to spew orange-red flames. The fire blasted through the street, creating a hazy view in the distance. The dragon shot out multiple attacks in different directions and each fused into a flaming tornado.

"It looks like Anhur learned some new tricks, but we came prepared," Joey said, smirking. He held out the Soul Sphere from its chain, its light very weak. "Catch, Yugi." Joey tossed the orb to him.

Shesmu flew upwards in the sky, absorbing the darkness shrouding the city. His roars resonated, combining his attack with Anhur's. The darkness churned around the flames, heading towards them.

Yugi noticed Joey and Kaiba summoning their Neo Guardians who then joined Set and Ma'at. They were more than ready to defend their masters. The four Neo Guardians produced a shield that surrounded everyone within their impregnable barrier. The tornado-like attack managed to hit, but the magical properties protected those inside. Instead the tornado dissipated once it touched the shield.

"It worked." Serenity said.

"I guess when there's more Neo Guardians, their powers increase," Yugi stated. He noticed a dark figure concealed in the shadows, a glint shone in Yugi's eyes.

The Neo Guardians let down their shield as Yugi confronted the figure watching them. The person didn't move, and he appeared where Yugi could see him. At first Yugi thought he had seen him before, upon closer inspection he recognized who it was by staring at a badge with the phoenix and dragon symbol.

"Matt!" Yugi said aloud.

"I tried getting here as fast as I could but Uranus wouldn't let me leave Animus." Matt explained.

"Why?"

"I can't discuss these matters to a non-Trinity member." Matt replied. "By the way, where are Kimberly and Rosemary?"

Two pairs of hands grabbed Matt and pulled him to the ground. The said people had irritated looks on their faces, and Yugi merely stared with embarrassment.

"What took you?" Kimberly yelled.

"How rude! We had to explain everything to the Holy Guardians without you around!" Rosemary said.

"The Holy Guardians?" Matt queried, standing up. "I thought they were dead."

"Not really." Yugi confirmed. The Soul Sphere dangled in the air by its chain as an explosion took place. "What was that?"

"Oh, that's just Selene fighting that beast." Rosemary responded calmly.

Matt faced Kimberly and Rosemary. "I want you two to make sure no civilians are hurt," he ordered. "The humans will be put under danger if they remain here."

The two women nodded and even gave Matt a thumbs-up to show they understood his orders. They disappeared around the corner, away from the battle.

"Is that all you can do?" Téa's voice said from inside the shadows. She approached closer to them, a sly grin on her face. "It's so pathetic." Téa saw Joey and Kaiba with them. "I guess Nick was too afraid to come. The coward probably didn't want to endure more torture."

"Téa, he would have come if he didn't -" Joey was about to finish until he saw Kaiba glaring at him. "Out of the people we know why did you turn against us?"

Téa shook her head. "You would never understand…" She wrapped her arms around herself. "I know that you all will abandon me…"

"We wouldn't!" Serenity protested. She tried to get nearer to her, but Ma'at stopped her. The Neo Guardian sensed a dark aura exuded by Téa, which would had definitely hurt Serenity.

"So, you have a Neo Guardian too," Téa observed, "and I see Kaiba has one." Her eyes then turned to Kenji. "Another Guardian? I'm curious to know how many of your kind are still left."

Kenji raised an eyebrow. "A beauty like you shouldn't be working with such fiendish creatures," he said. "You're the fiancé of that mortal. Typical he would marry someone quite beautiful like you."

Téa gritted her teeth. "Ever mention Nick again or -"

"Or what? Kill an immortal being?" Kenji questioned.

"Where are Horus and Selene?" Yugi demanded.

"Why would I care about them? Sekhmet is taking care of them as we speak." Téa answered.

A strong breeze blew around them as Anhur and Shesmu descended to the ground. Fierce glares played upon their faces, as if amused by what was going on. The shadows swirled around them like a protective wall of darkness.

_"Give it up, Ra, you will lose once we've accomplished our goals,"_ Anhur snickered.

_"The Holy Guardians barely grant you victory, and you're merely stopping the inevitable," _Shesmu said. _"In time, the darkness shall devour what good is left inside you. Face it, the shadows are everywhere, created by the three of us. Imagine the chaos your power can do."_

Yugi felt his whole body become numb, his vision cloudy, and he fell to his knees. He was shivering all over; the feeling reminded him of the time when he and his friends were in the Underworld. The only problem was, how did such a force get to the Mortal World in the first place?

"Yugi!" Serenity screamed. She ran to him, grabbing his shoulders and looking terrified. "I won't let them win! You can't give up!"

Yugi's eyes convulsed and he gradually stood up. He glowered at Anhur and Shesmu, anger built up in his mind.

Suddenly Sekhmet appeared out of nowhere, collapsing to the ground. She tried to get up, but felt exhausted from fighting Selene.

Selene confronted the beast, generating a glowing sphere from the palm of her hands. She fired it directly at Sekhmet, causing the creature to finally stay down. It seemed Selene wasn't through with her yet as she created another orb to finish Sekhmet off.

Nearly about to strike, Horus came in the way, deflecting his sister's attack with his control over the wind. His divine power eliminated the sphere by slicing through it. He watched as Selene stood in horror at what she was about to do.

Anhur growled, glancing at the fallen Sekhmet. _"Fools! Even if we fail, we still will come back until we get rid of Ra once and for all!"_

The pulsating Soul Sphere brought Yugi's attention, he sensed now was the right time to use it. He slowly approached the Beasts of Chaos, but Set tried to stop him. Yugi walked passed him, not heeding the Neo Guardian's warning.

Sekhmet's eyes flew open, she knew Yugi was coming towards them. She, Anhur and Sekhmet did not attack for fear that Yugi had set up a trap.

_"Well, Ra, have you finally accepted your fate?" _Sekhmet inquired.

"Are you crazy, Yugi!" Joey blurted. He couldn't believe that his best friend was actually walking into his demise.

"What is he thinking?" Kaiba spat. "Those creatures will kill him."

"He knows what he's doing," Serenity assured. "Just wait."

Téa couldn't suppress a laugh. "I hope Yugi has made up his will because after this he won't be coming back!" she sneered. She then narrowed her eyes. "Soon, the rest of my so-called friends will go down with him."

Selene took another look at Téa. _Mortal, you will wish not having tempt me, because even the moon hides behind its own shadow._

Yugi stood in front of the Beasts of Chaos, awaiting for what they had in stored for him. He held the Soul Sphere tightly in his hand, prepared to use its powers against them. He felt eyes staring at him from the back of his head. He paused for a moment, arching his head to notice that Horus was the one he sensed.

Yugi then looked back at the Beasts of Chaos. _Who are you three really?_ He thought. "You rely on the shadows to conceal your true forms, yet I don't know why I feel like I know you."

Shesmu sniggered. _"As long as we remain bounded to the darkness, we shall never reveal our forms."_

_"Now, since you're here we can destroy you at long last," _Sekhmet said gleefully. She saw Yugi laugh a little. _"What is so amusing?"_

"Yugi's lost it…" Joey responded in disbelief.

"I don't know what could be so humorous at a time like this." Matt said.

"Probably dying from laughter." Kenji joked.

"You are an idiot." Kaiba remarked, earning a glare from Kenji.

Yugi grinned, holding up the Soul Sphere. The Beasts of Chaos moved back, quivering in fear of the light that intensified. Yugi proceeded forward to them, but the creatures resumed leaning away.

"The light. You're afraid of it," Yugi said. "Well, let's see who you truly are behind those forms."

The Soul Sphere glowed even brighter, illuminating the entire area, and banishing the darkness. The shadows withdrew back as cries of agony erupted. The light blinded everyone nearby, causing them to cover their eyes.

Yugi lowered the object, letting its light dim. To his surprise, he was shocked to see the identities of the Beasts of Chaos.

"No, it can't be…" He whispered.

Three winged figures stood out in the open, their gazes directly at Yugi. The Millennium Rod and Ring glinted to reveal the faces of their owners.

"Ra, you have just made a terrible mistake." The woman stated angrily.

"Artemis!" Yugi yelled. "You were Sekhmet all along. And Yukai and Pluto. Why?"

Yukai clenched the Rod tightly in his hands. "In good time, Yugi."

"This can't be happening!" Joey shouted.

"Mortal, if this were a nightmare you would have been wide awake already." Pluto said.

"Then we shouldn't have left them the Millennium Rod and Ring!" Kaiba growled.

Pluto smirked evilly. "Arrogant as ever, I see." He replied.

"But, Artemis, why have you betrayed us!" Yugi reprimanded.

Artemis gave him a hardened look. "The pain I suffered because of you…" she muttered resentfully. Her eyes twitched. "And the Artemis you knew back then is gone! I'm the dark part of her so forget you ever knew her!"

Yugi felt hurt by her words. He would had least expected Artemis to turn against them, but he was wrong. His fear had come true. The person that he loved seemed forever gone, and he wanted to get her back.

"Yugi, it's time you faced your past because now I come back to haunt you!" Artemis proclaimed.

"And there's no way you can summon the Phoenix Dragons without defeating us first," Yukai explained. His eyes shifted to Joey. "Since Artemis wants Yugi, Wheeler, you're going to have to deal with me!"

Joey looked at him astonished. "Wha… Me!"

Yukai rolled his eyes. "Idiot…" He mumbled.

Pluto enjoyed Joey's confusion with Yukai, he was more than happy that he had Kaiba all to himself. The Guardian had long awaited to face the CEO. There was no need for a response because Pluto could tell by the enraged gaze on Kaiba.

"You even had the nerve to release the Neo Guardians!" Artemis chastised. "They were to be forever sealed in their tablets!"

Set, Ma'at. Thoth and Shu glared at her, not liking what she had to say about them. They waited for centuries for new masters to break them from their prisons, and now they heard that their own brethren despised them.

Artemis ignored them, knowing that they wanted a piece of her. She turned back to Yugi, who she should be really concentrating all her rage to. "Yugi, there's no way out! I can't be brought back to your side since my pathetic weak half is gone, exiled deep in my memories."

Yugi stared coldly at Artemis. His hands trembled, but he had no choice. "I won't…" Tears fell from his eyes. "I know there's still a good part of you still in there, and I will find a way to bring you back!"

Artemis nodded inquisitively. "Don't hold your breath," she said. "You can't free my light half unless you kill me, if you can."

Yugi froze from where he stood. His eyes were quivering with devastation. Everything around him began to be drained out from his mind, as if he was slowly losing himself to the darkness. The voices outside were gone, and he was all alone.

* * *

Author's Notes: Dropping here and this part will resume in the next chapter. I guess everyone has been waiting patiently to know who were the Beasts of Chaos, but keep this in mind, how did they turn evil in the first place?

The battle heats up as Yugi and the others discover who the Beasts of Chaos were. With Artemis, Yukai and Pluto on the side of darkness, Yugi refuses to fight Artemis, or else it would cost her life. All the way in New York, Mai and Kisara are beginning to suspect that Atem may not be who they think he is. Could the Pharaoh be against them? On the next _Struggle of Chaos_ - Chapter 23: The Shadow's Dark Side! The Pain Never Stops!


	23. The Shadow's Dark Side! The Pain Never S...

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Nick who belongs to Linkin-Phoenix.

* * *

Chapter 23: The Shadow's Dark Side! The Pain Never Stops!

The cold, harsh stares of Artemis, Pluto and Yukai were all looking towards their chosen victims. They had waited far too long to confront Yugi, Joey and Kaiba, and now the time had arrived. Everything was set for them to destroy the reincarnations of Ra and Ammon.

The Neo Guardians kept a keen eye on the betrayers, awaiting whatever assault was planned. They were alarmed that three members of the Millennium Guardians had turned against their duties, and they had no choice but to fight them. Deep down, the Neo Guardians didn't want to hurt their kind.

Serenity tried to wake Yugi from his sudden trance-like state, but he seemed lost within his own mind. She wrapped her arms around him, feeling how cold his skin was.

"Yugi…" Serenity sobbed, tears flowing down her cheeks. "We need you."

Artemis observed Serenity's efforts, discontent that Yugi had given up so easily. She flicked a card from her hand, looking at the creature she controlled: Sekhmet. It was that very card which sealed Ra the Golden Phoenix Dragon inside Yugi's card. Breaking the seal was the only trouble Yugi had.

"Pitiful," Artemis muttered. Yugi's friends stared angrily. "Yugi brought it upon himself. The events of the past were premeditated and he didn't heed the warnings Apollo and I predicted."

"And I thought those were mere coincidences." Pluto replied mockingly.

Artemis glowered at him. "Don't play dumb with me!"

"All right, all right," Pluto said in a ridiculed tone while rolling his eyes.

Joey approached Yugi and Serenity, worried about his friend. He couldn't bear to stare at Téa, knowing that she was pleased about Yugi's failure.

Téa laughed. "Come on, there's no way Yugi will hear you," she teased. "The darkness has claimed him, and soon all of you will fall under its grasp."

"Téa," Artemis called. The said person nodded. "If I were you, I would stand aside so I can kill Yugi." She materialized her staff, pointing its blade at Yugi.

"I don't need your concern!" Téa spat. She stammered up to Artemis, anger written all over her face.

Artemis narrowed her eyes. "Mortal, unless you want to die I suggest you back off!" She yelled, her staff's blade close to Téa's neck.

Téa stumbled back, away from the sharp blade. She clutched her stomach as if experiencing pain. Slowly, Téa motioned herself to Yugi, smirking at his fate. "Just make him suffer." Téa said as Artemis grinned maliciously.

Joey and Kaiba stepped in front of Yugi, trying to prevent Artemis from coming closer. Yet both Yukai and Pluto intended to move them away by drawing their swords. The two duelists stood away from Yugi.

Artemis caught a glimpse of Yugi's sword hidden inside its sheath beside his waist. She remembered when he first used it back in Adelaide. If Yukai hadn't protected her, she wouldn't had survived. She knew the attack left a scar across Yukai's face, which caused her grudge against Yugi to grow.

"You'll pay for that," Artemis whispered. "Hurting Yukai was a big mistake, even if I once loved you, I won't forgive you!"

Serenity glared. Her body trembled from fear rising in herself and the thought of Yugi being dead. She watched as Artemis was approaching them, her staff in an attack position, and a devious grin on her face.

Artemis stopped in front of Serenity and Yugi, annoyed by the fact that Serenity was in her way. "You certainly are a stubborn one," she said. Serenity didn't move. "There's no way to awaken Yugi, and I don't intend to let him live any longer. I want the pleasure to kill him when he's at his weakest."

Serenity's eyes widened. "The sun…" she inferred softly. "You sent the Beasts of Chaos to ravage this world in an attempt to block Yugi's power within the darkness you created." She noticed Artemis was nodding her head. "That's it. The plan was all set from the beginning."

"Took you long enough," Artemis complied, raising her staff in the air. "Now, I insist you move before I hack through your body!"

"No!"

Artemis couldn't stand Serenity's endeavor and instead she slashed her staff at them. She realized she couldn't budge her weapon, someone was stopping her, but the Guardian refused to look at who it was.

* * *

Meanwhile the Guardian household remained quiet most of the afternoon. The outside was still cold as ever, and everyone was indoors. Although there was silence, it was soon to be disturbed by certain beings.

"He did what?" Jupiter's voice screamed through the hallway.

"It just happened so fast." Saturn continued on talking about what occurred outside. "Kaiba would have gotten himself beaten badly if I didn't interfere."

Jupiter crossed her arms. "I prefer that pompous jerk to get himself injured!" she shouted. "Kaiba has a lot of nerve to just think he is superior with that high-and-mighty attitude."

"Not to mention tall." Venus interrupted. She, Saturn and Jupiter were now sitting at three sides adjacent in the living room. "If it were either Pluto or Uranus arguing with Kaiba, I think the mortal wouldn't be alive."

Saturn chuckled. "Luckily I didn't get myself caught in their arguments." He remembered the times both Genesis Guardians had their disagreements which led to a huge fistfight.

Without the Guardians' knowing, Mai and Kisara were eavesdropping on them from the hallway. They were listening to what the Guardians were discussing with each other, trying to find some useful information. Though only three Guardians were present in the room, the two women needed a wider array of facts from the others.

Mai leaned her back to the wall and led the way out. She made sure Kisara was following and that no one knew they were spying. Oddly enough they made it to another part of the house of the new wing. There, the addition of a den was the perfect spot for them to rest.

"Mai." Kisara said.

"What, hon?" Mai asked, scanning the den.

"Was it right to spy on them?"

Mai sighed to herself. "The Guardians tend to keep things to themselves, mostly what Joey has told me about them," she replied. "They're very intelligent, and also clever."

Kisara sensed as if they were not alone in the room. The branches of the trees swung in the strong breeze, scratching the windowpanes. She examined every corner of the room, especially the shadows.

"Kisara." Mai called out, breaking Kisara's concentration. She gazed at her bemused.

Kisara shook off the feeling and heard footsteps coming closer from the hallway. "You hear that?" Kisara inquired.

"Yes." Mai answered.

They waited to see who was the cause of the footsteps. Cautiously, Mai stood up and edged nearer to the doorway. She almost fell back when Mokuba appeared.

"Mai, wasn't my brother here?" Mokuba asked.

"He was, but then he left with Joey and another Guardian." Mai responded. "Where have you been this entire time?"

"With Kiki and Koji." Mokuba replied. He quickly noted that Kisara was also with Mai. "And this is?"

"Kisara." Mai introduced. "Kaiba brought her here from Elysium."

Mokuba blinked a couple of times, puzzling over why Kaiba would bring a girl like Kisara to Earth. He knew his older brother wasn't very social, and it was very unlikely for him to be interested in women.

"Mokuba, have you seen either Nick or Atem?" Mai queried.

Mokuba's body tensed. "Atem's been looking for Nick," he said, giving a fearful appearance. "He seemed upset about something. I mean, he didn't seem to be himself."

"That Pharaoh has such a big ego, almost like Kaiba." Mai remarked. "Well, let's go find those two." The three proceeded out of the den and made their way to the living room.

No voices came from their desired destination meaning that Saturn, Jupiter and Venus left. For some reason the entire house was eerily peaceful. The sun faded into the horizon as night set in. The shadows grew, covering every corner it could veil.

They arrived to the living room, finding Rebecca and Hathor inside. To their surprise, Nick was also there.

"Uh, I suppose none of you seen Atem?" Mai said.

Rebecca noticed Hathor glaring at them. "He sure has no respect. Atem insulted Hathor when we saw him walking down the hallway."

"And the Guardians?" Mokuba asked.

"Gone too." Rebecca answered. "I swear they must enjoy each other's company more than ours."

"Rebecca, it's been centuries since they interacted with humans," Mokuba explained. "They're trying to communicate with us, but they feel as if we'll betray them at any second."

Mai shook her head. "Almost like they hate being rejected."

"Indeed they do." Atem responded, casually strolling into the room. His clothes were a mess and even his hair appeared in a worn-out state. Crimson eyes were directed towards Nick, oblivious to the others inside. "If it isn't my former bodyguard who couldn't even protect Téa."

"You don't sound okay." Mai replied feebly, stepping aside as did Mokuba and Kisara.

Atem snickered. "O merciful Ra, why must I be tortured like this?" he droned and continued his way before pausing in front of Nick. "My dear wife in love with the person I used to trust. Téa doesn't deserve you, yet after 3,000 years I still feel heartbroken because of what occurred in Ancient Egypt."

"Atem, let it go. Téa loved me and not you." Nick replied, glaring at the Pharaoh.

Mai shrugged. "I hope Atem doesn't turn into Valon," she said. "That fool really thought we shared things in common."

"You didn't like him?" Mokuba queried.

"Please, I rather marry Wheeler than that freak."

Atem ignored what the two people were saying to each other. He clenched his fists, his temper rising. Narrowing his eyes, the Pharaoh tried to punch Nick, but his hand was stopped by Nick.

"I doubt fighting is a hobby of yours, but I don't want to start anything with you." Nick said, pushing Atem back.

"You took Téa away from me!" Atem growled. He almost tumbled to the floor as he began to snicker. Clutching his forehead, he stared darkly at everyone. "It's all your fault… all your fault! Maybe Téa was better off with… me."

He rushed out of the living room and went straight outside. Mai, Nick, Kisara and Mokuba followed Atem, leaving Rebecca and Hathor behind. They left through the back door and found Atem gazing up at the dark night sky. The trees swayed in the wind, creating shadowy images on the ground.

"This… is where I can finally get my revenge that I longed to finish." Atem said. He turned to them, an evil grin on his face.

"What is going on?" Jupiter asked, looking from a far view in the third building. She could see five figures outside which concerned her.

Venus took a glance for herself. "By the look of things I don't like it."

"Then we should see what's going on for ourselves." Saturn decided. The three Guardians took the nearby stairs, reaching the ground floor, and heading out from the building.

Atem closed his eyes as a dark apparition appeared through the shroud of darkness. A long, green staff was raised as the being prepared to attack.

"What's with the Dark Magician?" Mokuba inquired weakly. He had no clue what Atem really intended to do with his Ka.

"Destroy them!" Atem ordered.

The Dark Magician released his attack on them. Bolts of black lightning shot through the weapon, aimed for them. Atem was sure that they wouldn't be able to defend themselves until something intercepted the attack. A thick cloud of smoke covered the area, and the Guardians could not see anything.

"Terrific, a smokescreen." Venus commented. She transformed into her Guardian form and used her wings as a fan to blow away the smoke.

As the smoke cleared, the Guardians realized that two monsters stood facing each other. Atem was fine, but what made him angry was that Nick had summoned his Invader of Darkness.

"I don't understand what's going on!" Venus yelled out.

"I believe it's pretty obvious that the Pharaoh has lost his marbles!" Jupiter responded.

Atem's evil laughter caught their attention. "I made a deal with the Beasts of Chaos. If I worked for them, I could get Téa back and destroy the one who took her: Nick!"

"That could be why Téa is against us." Mai concluded, slowly putting the pieces of the puzzle together. Still she had a feeling there was much more going on they were made unaware about.

Nick glowered towards Atem. "You!" he spat bitterly. "Can't you get into your thick head that Téa will never love you?"

"It hurts, doesn't it? The agony of losing the love of your life," Atem said. "There's nothing you can do but wait at death's door to open itself to you. I'm surprised that Artemis was capable of reviving you. Why she kept you alive is a mystery to me."

"Atem, I don't know what's gotten into you but I know you're going too far!" Mai yelled, angered that he was trying to complete what Kaiba began earlier.

Atem's eyes glowed red. "Fools, with the Beasts of Chaos dealing with my former partner you can't possibly defeat me if your only defense is Nick." He said, pointing an accusing finger at said person.

Mai became even more irritated by Atem's ploy. "What's stopping us from summoning monsters?"

"Only an Millennium Guardian can give you that ability, and as you can see none are here," Atem waved his arms around to exemplify his meaning, "and you have no ancient background with them."

Upon the canopy of the trees, four figures stood on a large, thick branch, overlooking the commotion. Two familiar creatures sat aside the beings who were watching curiously. They were aware that Atem was not hesitant to destroy the ones he was after, but they waited to see what Yugi's friends would do.

A forked tail twitched as the creature perceived the next event. "This fight will be taking its toll." She said.

The young woman accompanying the man glanced at him, her bright blue eyes shimmering with sadness. "Don't you think it's time you -" She was halted by her companion.

"Patience," he replied, meeting the eyes of the woman. "I want to see if either of them are capable of possessing a Neo Guardian first," He then noticed her worried look. "If things go wrong, I'll take care of it."

The woman bowed to him. "Do as you wish." She said in a rather monotone response.

* * *

Artemis avoided the eyes of her father as he gripped her staff tightly. Her hands trembled with fright; had she anticipated this she would had evaded him. She felt her head pound as Horus was trying to get inside her mind. Quickly, Artemis took her chance and pushed Horus away from her.

"You're dead!" Artemis yelled, disbelieving what she was seeing before her.

"It's been far too long since I last seen you," Horus said. "You were only a baby when I perished." His eyes held a mournful longing to finally see his daughter.

Artemis glared at him with hatred. "You left my mother and I with that bastard! He despised me because I was half mortal, and my entire life with him was hell!"

Horus didn't respond. The bitter words he heard from Artemis had crushed him, knowing that Skyros had done awful things to her. He was more sympathetic to mortals, on the other hand Skyros shared a common dislike with Apophis, which was the opposite of Horus. The Holy Guardian couldn't help but feel remorse for his daughter, and then he remembered about Yukai. Possibly he had the same feeling as Artemis. Horus also wondered about Pluto, he was partly responsible for assisting Apophis during the Final Battle.

"Artemis, you must understand that your father wanted to raise you, not abandon you." Selene said, trying to help.

"Lies!" Artemis spat. She trembled slightly, acting as if she seen a ghost.

Serenity shook her head in disagreement. She looked at Yugi, then to Artemis. "You shouldn't be upset," she said sadly. "You learned a lot from your past experiences and you tried to prevent yourself from repeating it."

Artemis remained silent for a moment. She knew that Serenity had to be tricking her. The only way she could get rid of the pain was to kill Yugi.

"No! I won't go back there! I won't!" Artemis screamed, kneeling on the ground and wrapping her arms around her head.

Serenity saw a dark aura surrounding Artemis' body. _What is she talking about 'going back there'? _Disregarding that thought, she tried again to snap Yugi out of his current state. "Yugi, you can't give up! The darkness has not won yet!"

Her shrill cries echoed within Yugi's mind. He was inside a dark room, no light at all for him to see. The shadows shrouded him in its grasp, tightening and lifting him up to his feet. It then blocked the voices from the outside.

"Ser-Serenity…?" Yugi inquired softly. His eyes dozed off, feeling the effects of the darkness. His body felt numb and he couldn't move. "Why am I here…?"

_"You don't belong in the light,"_ a voice said, sending chills down Yugi's spine. _"You were never meant to be good, but you can always embrace the darkness. It will forever be at your side."_

Yugi felt tempted to accept the voice's offer of such freedom. His life would have been made easier if he did rather than take the hard road he was originally set out to take. No more pain, no more sorrow and best of all, no more guilt he held in his heart.

He smirked before realizing the voice's true intent. "I'm not falling into your trap," he said. "You want me to think I'm pure evil."

The mysterious voice laughed. _"Mortals have flaws unlike the Guardians. Your kind has not changed for centuries, and why is that? The negative influences feeds your inner soul, causing humanity to be unruly."_

"That's what you think." Yugi replied. "And I think it's about time I left."

A soft glow emitted from his body, strengthening by the aid of Yugi's determination. The shadows disappeared and only light remained in the dimension Yugi was in.

His eyes shot open, startling Serenity who was beside him. Yugi stood up, glimpsing over at what was going on. He shocked everyone with his sudden return, but he was more fretful about Artemis.

_Is it fated that the reincarnations of the Phoenix Dragons could one day become evil?_ Yugi thought. _If Artemis was the first to succumb to the darkness, could it mean I'm next?_

Pluto glanced at Yugi, raising an eyebrow with curiosity. _What is Mutou thinking? Has he figured out the whole process that we're trying to accomplish?_

"We should be taking our leave," Yukai advised him. "If Artemis' power decreases more, it could shatter the barrier we have around the city."

"Fine," Pluto agreed. "We must do this fast before Yugi decides to break it on his own."

"Then there is a way to free us from your huge bubble." Joey commented, overhearing their small chat.

"Why you!" Pluto scolded, looking nearly terrified.

"That's all I needed to hear." Yugi said, smiling. He unsheathed his sword and directed it towards Artemis. "I have a feeling she's the one maintaining this shield together. I wonder what happens if she's attacked."

Yugi combined all his energy into his sword and he smashed it to the ground. Light accumulated from the weapon and shot up into the air, targeting Artemis. The attack stopped as it approached her and dissipated immediately.

"So you managed to break free." Artemis observed.

"Yes, but you lost concentration of holding the barrier." Yugi explained.

Artemis, Pluto and Yukai gazed up at the sky, realizing that the clouds were vanishing. They were shocked to see that their spell was broken.

"This isn't over!" Artemis said aloud.

"Well, are you willing to fight me formally or not?" Yugi questioned politely.

Téa watched the horizon, observing that a small slit of sunlight was appearing. "This isn't good…" she mumbled. "The night has gone by too fast, as if... time was changed. Someone's behind this." She kept this small detail to herself before making any conclusions.

Yukai noticed the brightening of the sky. "We don't have much time." He alerted both Artemis and Pluto.

"I don't care! All I want is for Yugi to be gone from this world!" Artemis replied.

Yugi stood in astonishment as he heard her speak those words. Now he had to handle both Téa and Artemis, his former friends he had long known. Not only did he had them, but Joey and Kaiba had problems of their own with Yukai and Pluto. What was he to do?

* * *

The wind blew as Atem and Nick glared at each other, their monsters awaiting orders they were to be given. Mai, Kisara, Mokuba and the three Guardians were wondering what was going to happen, though they really wanted to stop Atem. He had crossed the line; betraying them for his selfish needs.

The two beings in hiding expected either Atem or Nick to make a first move, yet neither of them did anything. Instead, they stayed out of the fight, waiting for the right time.

"It all comes down to this." Atem remarked.

"You're really desperate to have Téa back," Nick said. "I doubt she loves either of us but who knows what else the Beasts of Chaos did to alter her mind."

"Yes," Atem complied. "Their 'mindless doll' to toy with."

Nick gritted his teeth. "She is not their mindless doll!"

"Hm, not what they think, but let's end this." Atem replied. He commanded Dark Magician to prepare to fight. The wind started to blow as the two foes were ready to begin.

With Yugi in a battle against past allies, it seemed the clash of enemies was merely beginning. What they didn't know was that darker forces were at work, organizing the subsequent events to come.

* * *

Author's Notes: For once, I'm now having writer's block for this story… Oh well, gives me time to post chapters of stories I've been neglecting. Since I have no clue what else will happen in the next chapter, I'm just leaving the chapter title for it.

On the next _Struggle of Chaos_ - Chapter 24: Alternate Fate of the Dark Crisis


	24. Alternate Fate of the Dark Crisis

Chapter 24: Alternate Fate of the Dark Crisis

A battle that was best left unsought. The betrayals of those closest were meant to happen, and of the lives sacrificed to do evil's bidding. Could it be fated for all these to come together? Perhaps. Nothing more could be said about the events of now…

The past is reflected upon the consequences of the future. A concept that many believe in, but others reject. Knowing what results would occur beforehand is a matter of if one wants to seek the truth. Hidden secrets buried within could unleash such unstoppable effects to happen, the future itself changed. The present in massive dismay could erupt into utter chaos.

Time can change, but decisions of the past cannot. Strong intentions and a bitter force could ultimately create a world; entire dimensions not seen through the eyes of the beholder.

The sun rising in the east was an alarming feature to the ex-Pharaoh. He knew somewhere on the other side, dawn was fast approaching. Observing everyone around him, Atem couldn't understand why powerful beings known as the Guardians allied themselves with these worthless humans. For him it was quite puzzling indeed, but Atem wasn't going to let that bother him.

He was so close. The need to get rid of the obstacle between he and Téa was beyond reach. Atem had enough of putting away his feelings for her. He knew they were meant to be together, and he would not allow his former bodyguard have her.

No one suspected wandering eyes would be watching the quarrel from above. They were in the house, looking through the window. Curiosity caused them to see what was going on.

"Who knew those two would despise each other." Koji commented, lying beside the wall.

Kiki had her forehead pressed against the windowpane. "If you ask me, they're not as bad as my brother and Uranus."

"Maybe even less than Pluto, Uranus, Mars and Neptune put together," Koji added. "But, that's just them. They're always trying to be better than each other."

Noa's holographic figure projected through the hall; somehow he was able to drift from different areas of the house. "I just received a call from someone named Ryou Bakura," he informed. "It appears he's coming here."

"And how did he know where we live?" Kiki asked.

"Probably because he was here six years ago!" Koji yelled.

Kiki crossed her arms. "You didn't have to be so mean!" She wailed.

Koji sighed. "How did Mark, Mercury and Pluto ever put up with you…?"

The shadows bided back as the sun peered higher in the sky, warming the ground. Atem understood his Dark Magician would be stronger in the darkness, but that also would be helping Nick's Invader of Darkness.

"Well, I suppose you want me to attack." Atem said.

"If you want your monster destroyed by your own doing I don't mind." Nick replied.

Atem chuckled. "Not that I intend to do that." A smirk played upon his face. "I'm sure you're aware that some monsters can have different appearances."

"Even if Atem summoned another Dark Magician it's still not enough to take down Invader of Darkness." Mai explained.

"Aren't there other Spellcaster monsters that might be stronger?" Kisara questioned.

Mai gasped. "He wouldn't…" She covered her mouth in shock.

Atem concentrated on bringing out another Dark Magician. Shadows swirled around him as a being transpired through from the other side. This one was different from the original Dark Magician; his outfit a dark blue, not purple, and even his skin appeared blue. Both monsters started to glow and the light fused into one. The rays were so blinding, nearly everyone close by could not see what was happening next. A long staff ending on the top with a blue orb encased in four claw-like holders appeared out from the light. Then a cape flailed, covering what was hiding behind it.

"Now, this is the end for you!" Atem proclaimed. "My Sorcerer of Dark Magic has enough power to destroy your Ka. Not only that, he comes with a special ability."

Nick stared at Atem's monster. "So Sorcerer of Dark Magic decreases my monster's attack points if Spellcasters exist in your graveyard." He wasn't all that impressed.

"Nick, your monster won't stand a chance against him!" Mai advised. "But is this really a duel?"

"The Millennium Guardians had their own rules when they dueled," Atem began, glancing directly at Mai. "Instead the monsters were their Ka and their effects were added too. Without the use of decks, they relied on the Equip Spells that were especially designed for their Ka, and their Lifepoints were actually their life force."

"That means if Nick loses he'll die!" Mai cried out.

"Precisely." Atem replied, a mischievous grin on his face.

* * *

As light slowly slipped up into the sky, there wasn't much time left for Artemis, Pluto and Yukai. They had to quickly destroy Yugi or else they would lose their chance this time.

Artemis held up Sekhmet's card in her hand as did Yukai and Pluto with their beasts. Their only solution was to summon those creatures to do their bidding, but four Neo Guardians would be difficult obstacles to overcome. They were not going to allow the opportunity to slip by them, Yugi was in their trap, and they were going to finish their job.

"You may have drawn us out from the Beasts of Chaos but we still can control them even without taking their forms," Artemis said. "Sekhmet, arise!" She tossed the card to the ground as it formed a seal similar to what confined Ra the Golden Phoenix Dragon in its imprisoned state.

Yukai raised his card in the air as lightning streamed and clouds accumulated in the sky. A seal with the symbol of the sun appeared high above as roars reverberated. Pluto simply kept his card in his hand, his entire body became shrouded in darkness. The shadows formed into a huge being and its eyes began to glow.

Joey sensed a pulse from within his deck, he took it out and searched thoroughly. Ammon's card pulsated once the presence of Shesmu was felt. The circle binding the dragon emanated when Shesmu's summoning was complete.

Sekhmet emerged from the shadows, just mere inches from where Yugi stood. Her piercing glare didn't intimidate him, but Yugi noticed Anhur hovering in the sky. Anhur outstretched his wings and descended towards the ground.

"The Beasts of Chaos act as Ka." Horus observed.

Yugi faced him. "What about the Neo Guardians? Are they similar?" He asked, grasping the hilt of his sword.

"No. In a sense, they are real Guardians." Horus answered.

"Are we just goin' to stand around while they play on the defensive!" Joey hollered. He already lost his patience and was eager to attack.

"It will only provoke them!" Selene warned.

"And yet we'll have the advantage." Horus included. "Guardians prefer to go on the defense than the offense."

"Aw'right then! Yugi, maybe if Kaiba and I have our Neo Guardians handle Anhur and Shesmu, you and Serenity can fight Sekhmet." Joey suggested.

"It won't be that easy." Kaiba interjected. He walked over to them with Shu beside him. "The Beasts of Chaos will be dealt with but what about them?" He pointed to Artemis, Pluto and Yukai.

"We'll take care of them." Selene offered, glancing at Horus. "Even if they are our own flesh and blood, we can't let them continue this conflict."

"I never wanted this to happen," Horus said sadly. He stared at Artemis, grieving for how he failed her as a father. "But…" The Guardian wandered his eyes towards Pluto. "Apophis' son will be dealt with for what he did to my wife."

Yugi watched inquisitively as both walked away. He could understand how Horus felt about the death of his wife and probably the same affected Artemis when she found out her mother was murdered by the very Guardian whom she now worked with.

"Yugi, does that mean?" Serenity asked, edging closer to him.

Yugi nodded. "Yes, to save this world I must fight, even if the person I once loved is now evil. Set." Yugi called, his Neo Guardian approached him.

"Ma'at." Serenity said as the being stood beside her.

Sekhmet watched the two Neo Guardians carefully. She was aware Thoth and Shu went off to deal with Shesmu and Anhur. Patiently, she stood on all fours, awaiting for the attacks to come.

"Sekhmet, you will have to do things by yourself," Artemis urged. Her creature noticed why she said that as Horus and Selene confronted them. "It seems my own father thinks I'm really going to let him destroy me that easily. Holy Guardian or not, he is still feeble." Artemis caught the attention of Yukai and Pluto and alerted them of Horus and Selene.

"Hey, Anhur!" Joey yelled out. The dragon looked down towards the ground. "At least now I attracted your attention."

Anhur roared loudly, but Shesmu flew over to him. The dragon wasn't very pleased to see him, but they realized Thoth and Shu had surrounded them. Both monsters tried flying higher in the sky, and they were soon followed by the two Neo Guardians.

"Are we goin' to attack together or wait until they attack us?" Joey inquired Kaiba.

Kaiba scoffed. "What kind of idiotic question is that? Shu, attack!"

His Neo Guardian obeyed and he created a luminous spark in the palm of his hands. Shu raised his attack into the air and made sure it was targeted for Shesmu. The blast erupted in the sky as it combined into a stream of lightning.

At the same time Thoth took his chance to fuse all the heat energy he could muster and form it into a single attack. Everything around him became very hot and a fireball materialized in his hands. Thoth aimed for Anhur and fired his attack.

Both of the Neo Guardians' moves hit their targets, and roars of agony echoed as smoke churned about. The two Beasts of Chaos began to fall at a fast rate after being damaged badly. They collapsed to the ground, causing the earth to quake.

"That was simple…" Joey said, baffled at what occurred.

"Their power must have been weakened somehow." Kaiba observed. He stared at the sliver of sunlight rising from the horizon.

* * *

Meanwhile back in New York, Sorcerer of Dark Magic had already started on his attack. He tried hitting Invader of Darkness with a blast from his staff, but he kept missing. This was not from poor aim, it was from poor control by Atem.

"Another rule the Pharaoh overlooked was that the stronger the monster, the more one has to control it." The man hidden in the shadows explained to his companion.

"Tyche, this is getting ridiculous!" Heka complained. "Give the mortal the Neo Guardian before I lose it!"

"No!" Tyche scolded. "The mortal… I need to see if he's capable of controlling this Neo Guardian. She's a very obedient servant so the choice has to be made carefully."

"I think the mortal can," the woman said. "Besides, this Neo Guardian was said to protect those with a strong bond of love."

Atem was discontented with what was occurring as he glared furiously at his Sorcerer of Dark Magic. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. A dark aura veiled Atem's body, the air around him turning cold.

"Nick!" Atem growled, his eyes glowing red. "You will die! I won't have you take Téa away from me!"

The darkness shrouding the Pharaoh became stronger, its evil energy absorbed into Sorcerer of Dark Magic. The Ka's strength increased, and now Atem was able to maintain him. Sorcerer of Dark Magic pointed his weapon directly at Mai, Kisara and Mokuba.

"But before I kill you, I'll get rid of them!" Atem proclaimed. "Destroy them!"

Sorcerer of Dark Magic mustered all the power he contained and concentrated it into a dark energy ball. He focused the attack forming in the sphere of his staff and shot his attack at his victims.

Mai, Kisara and Mokuba stood petrified as the attack came towards them. The attack took its impact and created a huge explosion.

Nick glowered at Atem, but he had to duck as the blast spread about. He noticed his Invader of Darkness was unable to move like some strange force immobilized him.

"They didn't do anything, and yet you went after them for your needs!" Nick spat. He heard Atem snickering which annoyed him. "They were our friends, but you treated them as nothing."

"Exactly how the Guardians treat humans," Atem said. He glanced at Jupiter, Saturn and Venus. "They were meant to rule over humanity. That is why Yugi and I are part-Guardian, we were supposed to take over this planet!"

"No, we wouldn't!" Venus protested. She tried coming closer to Atem, but she was restrained by Saturn from moving further. "Our kind changed, it was Apophis who wanted to enslave mortals."

"Lies." Atem responded. "Explain to me this: as closest friends to Artemis, why did she resurrect Nick?"

Silence.

The three Guardians didn't speak. They avoided looking at Nick, and turned away.

Atem smirked. "Now, Nick, are you prepared to die again?"

"Death, been there done that," Nick said. Atem raised an eyebrow. "I can understand that I'm better off dead than live my life any longer. But still… I can't leave Téa."

"Forget about her." Atem sneered. "She's mine. Doubtlessly think you will survive my next attack, but you will fall eventually!"

Sorcerer of Dark Magic once again conjured up all his powers into his staff, directing it towards Invader of Darkness. He fired his attack, but a huge snake blocked it.

"Nick!" Ryou called aloud. He and Bakura ran up to him with Diabound taking in the blows of Atem's attack. "What is going on?"

"Yes, mortal, explain why the Pharaoh is trying to hurt you." Bakura continued. He was a little confused to see the supposedly good Pharaoh attacking his friends suddenly.

Nick searched around for any signs of Mai, Kisara and Mokuba, but to no avail. "The Pharaoh is not on our side."

"Really?" Bakura replied with a slight sound of disbelief. "I thought I would never see the day when the Pharaoh has joined the dark side."

"Isn't Mai here also?" Ryou questioned.

"They're gone." Atem answered abruptly before Nick. He had his arms crossed as if feeling superior to them. "And they're not coming back."

"Not likely, sweetheart!" Mai's voice exclaimed from above.

Mai and Mokuba held on to the claws of two bird-like women flying in the sky. Kisara rode on the back of Blue-Eyes as the creatures descended to the ground. The Harpie Ladies accompanying them seemed to have come from Mai since they were obeying her lead.

"What!" Atem roared. "How did you escape?"

"I summoned my Ka, but somehow Mai had called upon her Spirit monster, the Harpie Lady, then came another." Kisara explained.

Mai's eyes widened. "The Equip Spells Atem mentioned." She gasped. Mai took out her deck and quickly found the Spell card Elegant Egotist.

"But doesn't it allow you to summon Harpie Lady Sisters?" Mokuba asked, looking at the card.

"Look over there!" Ryou said. He indicated to everyone of the third missing Harpie Lady which was also defending Invader of Darkness with Diabound.

"Atem, what will you do now?" "Nick queried. "You're outnumbered. There's no way you're going to win."

Atem sniggered manically. "Fools! I won't back down even if you have more assistance!"

Tyche observed the battle closely from the treetops. Her red gem on her forehead began to glow. "The time for the next Neo Guardian has come." She announced.

"Well finally!" Heka replied, taking a back-flip on the branch with glee.

"You gave Mai the ability to summon her Ka?" The woman inquired.

"It was bound to happen." The man said. "And we're going to need all the help we can get." He felt somewhat worried that he had tempted Fate to sway in his favor.

A shining ray of light peered from the sky to the ground. Within, it held a card in its warm glow, slowly falling and stopping in front of Nick.

"Not good…" Atem grumbled, stepping a step back in fear.

Nick took a glimpse at the card and realized it was a Neo Guardian. The card was labeled Bastet, Guardian Servant of Isis. Suddenly a compelling force made him reach out for the card, and upon taking it, Nick called out the Neo Guardian's name.

"Bastet, Guardian Servant of Isis!" He yelled.

Light shot out from the card, merging into the Guardian that was summoned. A winged being extended her white wings and she levitated to the ground by Nick's side. Bastet opened her azure eyes, prepared to fight.

* * *

Set, Ma'at, Thoth and Shu felt the presence of the new Neo Guardian. They sensed their powers becoming greater as they combined their energy with Bastet. Their bodies glowed to the surge of power flowing in them.

Yugi saw this as did Serenity and Sekhmet. The others noticed what was going on, too.

Artemis dodged an attack from Horus, nearly meeting the sharp blades of wind. She watched as the Neo Guardians came together.

Téa also saw the occurrence, wondering if someone was responsible for this. In her heart, she felt like she had hurt the ones that cared about her. She just couldn't help but wonder if she didn't have something to worry about. Someday Téa would see the light.

"What's this?" Yugi asked, gazing at the light.

"The Neo Guardians are joining together, but why?" Serenity questioned.

"Bastet has been awakened." Selene replied. She and Horus looked back at the angered glares of Artemis, Yukai and Pluto. "They'll forgive us."

The Neo Guardians united their powers as one, aiming for Sekhmet. What remained of Anhur and Shesmu was left on the ground, the beasts were slowly disappearing into the darkness as the sun's light shined on their bodies.

Sekhmet roared loudly and tried to stay away from the light before she vanished like her comrades. Artemis watched on helplessly, a look of fear crossed her face as the Neo Guardians sent off their attack towards Sekhmet. The creature's cries resonated through the sky, with the light dying down. Sekhmet was barely left standing as she collapsed to the ground, fading into the shadows.

Artemis narrowed her eyes at the Neo Guardians, her temper rising. "You have not seen the last of us!" she shouted. She glanced at Yugi; a shiver went down his spine as he stared directly into her cold blue eyes. "Yugi, you will pay. I will not stand for this any longer! You will perish one way or another!"

Yukai nodded his head curiously. "The Neo Guardians' power don't even come close to ours, but, Yugi, regret that you have not destroyed us this time."

"Your demise will satisfy the one we seek to revive, an ancient foe you never got to meet during the Final Battle." Pluto said.

"An ancient foe?" Yugi muttered. He realized that both Selene and Horus stood away from them. He then turned to look at Téa. "You can't leave, Téa. Don't you understand that your betrayal has hurt us, and even towards you, too."

"Never will I side with you, Yugi." Téa replied. "I don't care if I was part of your friendship, but it's over!" She removed something from her finger and tossed it to Yugi. "Here, take this back to Nick."

Yugi caught the object she threw, and before he knew it, Téa began to meld with the shadows along with Artemis, Yukai and Pluto. The sun's rays hit where they once stood, just in time before they would have managed to disappear not on their own. Yugi opened his hand and his eyes widened in shock.

Serenity ran over to him as did Joey and Kaiba. She took deep breaths as their Neo Guardians returned to their original forms. "She didn't…" Serenity whispered softly.

"She did…" Yugi said sadly. "Téa must be stopped, and also Artemis. I can't let them succeed."

* * *

With the sun finally rising for the morning in the east coast, Atem wasn't too pleased about Bastet. He knew the Neo Guardian had a special ability that enabled her to communicate with the rest of her kind, that would explain how the other Neo Guardians received her energy. Atem looked over at everyone, his Sorcerer of Dark Magic his only defense, and unfortunately his Ka became weaker due to Bastet's effect.

_Atem, return back, immediately!_ Artemis' voice yelled inside Atem's mind.

_I will not! I'm too close to killing Nick! _Atem said back.

_Idiot! Your powers have become limited as I warned you. If you want to be destroyed, be my guest!_

Atem grumbled to himself, upset about how he lost his opportunity to kill Nick. The Pharaoh would had not been a match for either of the others since Bastet was released from her imprisonment. Instead, Atem recalled back Sorcerer of Dark Magic, and started to vanish into the shadows.

"Coward!" Nick shouted out to him. "The next time we meet, you won't run away from me, and I will get Téa back!"

Atem grinned evilly. "Good luck with that." He replied and disappeared.

Bastet landed beside Nick, a worried look on her face. _"He is no longer our ally."_ She said softly.

Ryou nearly jumped as he and the others heard her speak. "You can talk!"

Bastet nodded. _"History is repeating itself as we speak, untold fathoms may be taking place, and the future holds unknown events yet to come. _She continued. _But the past… the Dark Crisis that began six years ago was mainly caused by the betrayals of your friends, and now it's happening again."_

"The Dark Crisis?" Jupiter questioned.

"It was when Yugi fought against the Galactic Dragon, don't you remember, or has your brain somehow been misplaced?" Bakura answered, chuckling slightly.

"By how Joey explained that battle, it didn't seem that easy," Mai concluded. "He mentioned it took the strength of everyone to banish the Galactic Dragon for good."

"You never know what the events of the past can do to the future." Venus said.

"Then maybe what occurred in the past caused these things to happen now," Kisara mused. "It's just a thought."

"Let's just hope that what we do now doesn't affect future consequences." Nick replied.

The sun shined brightly around them; the two beings watching them had left, as did Tyche and Heka. A new day had arrived, but the possibilities of the trials to come could actually alter what was in store for those involved in Yugi's battle to stop an ancient evil foe from awakening. Sadly, it was just beginning.

* * *

Author's Notes: No chapter summary, but I'll hand over the title.

On the next _Struggle of Chaos _- Chapter 25: The Millennium Guardians Strike!


	25. The Millennium Guardians Strike!

Chapter 25: The Millennium Guardians Strike!

Civilians throughout Los Angeles realized that the Beasts of Chaos were gone, but they were puzzled to the cause of their disappearance. The sunlight beamed in their faces as Yugi and the others hid in the shadows. Making sure they were not caught, they dwelled around the alleys to look for the whereabouts of Rosemary and Kimberly.

Yugi fell behind the others as they walked. He sadly stared at the ground, wondering why Artemis, Yukai and Pluto had turned against them. They were once his friends, but now they had betrayed him.

Serenity could not help but look towards Yugi. She knew he still felt upset over the Millennium Guardians' retreat, yet something else bothered her. The fact that they fled, where the rest of the Millennium Guardians were, and why light was their weakness.

"Well this was a wasted night," Joey commented as they walked. "Those three have really lost it this time, even turning Téa against us."

Suddenly Yugi paused midway, staring up at the sky. He shuddered, sensing someone was watching them. Narrowing his eyes, he could not find anyone responsible for his alert disposition.

"Yugi, what's wrong?" Serenity asked, looking upwards.

"Nothing." Yugi replied, dismissing what he saw. He then strolled off on his own.

Horus and Selene took notice of what Yugi was searching for. They knew it could not have been either Artemis, Yukai or Pluto since they fled the moment morning dawned. There had to be more the three were hiding or else they would not have escaped, leaving their job unfinished.

"It couldn't be them." Selene said softly to Horus.

Her brother nodded. "Who else do you suppose it to be then?"

"You may be right."

"Serenity, are you all right?" Joey queried, approaching her.

"I'm fine," Serenity answered. She continued to gaze at Yugi before turning towards Joey. "Just a little worried for Yugi, that's all."

Joey raised an eyebrow in suspicion. He knew his sister was hiding something from him, and that truth had to be about Yugi. Instead, he smiled at Serenity and they resumed walking.

* * *

Full daylight arrived at last in New York as the sun began its usual ascent above the sky. Cold air wisped about as the Guardians, Nick, Mai, Ryou, Bakura and Kisara stood outside after they witnessed Atem's departure. The Guardians were especially surprised to find out that Atem deceived them, but it only reminded them of one thing: Final Battle.

"I don't believe this. Atem was working for the Beasts of Chaos the entire time." Mai said angrily. She shook her head a couple of times in frustration.

Jupiter, Saturn and Venus turned away from them and secretly exchanged glances with each other. During these times, they had gained experience of the events to come because they knew how it felt when a friend's loyalty is dishonored. They knew Yugi and the others would soon have to face betrayal in their lifetime.

Nick glowered at the Guardians, already suspicious of their behavior. He held onto Bastet's card in his hand, and stammered to them.

"It would seem that you three were aware that this would happen." Nick said. The Guardians merely stared at him.

"I just had enough of your silence!" Mai yelled out. She walked up to Nick and confronted the Guardians. "What is it that you're hiding?"

Jupiter sighed in discontent. "And I thought it was obvious too," she remarked. "Fine, we know that Atem has to be involved in something big or else he wouldn't have attacked us in the first place."

"Meaning?" Bakura inquired as he, Ryou and Kisara came towards them.

"Most Guardians are capable of manipulating their 'puppets' but Atem didn't appear he was, unlike Téa," Venus explained. "It seems he's doing this for his own need, to satisfy his hunger to destroy Nick and to have Téa all to himself."

"In that case he's being driven on his own to do this." Ryou observed.

Venus shook her head positively and continued. "As for Téa we know she would never go against her friends. She's being controlled by someone who can alter her feelings in any way they want."

"And we've come to the conclusion that Yukai is doing this." Saturn said in a dreadful tone.

"And what exactly can he do?" Mai questioned, considering her lack of knowledge of the events six years prior.

"The Millennium Rod, he still has it," Nick replied bitterly. "And I'm betting that Artemis and Pluto are in on this too."

Jupiter glared at him, disapproving of Artemis' involvement. "No! She wouldn't!" She cried out defensively.

"Then where is she?"

Jupiter remained silent.

"Nick, maybe you should relax. It's not like the Guardians know everything," Mai assured calmly. "It's been tough on all of us. We'll find a way to get Téa back."

Nick heard what she said, but headed back inside without saying a word. He did worry about Téa, especially since he never told his friends, besides the wedding, something he and Téa kept hushed up amongst themselves.

"We're going to need to keep an eye on him." Venus said.

"What?" Mai asked in shock.

"Don't mortals undergo depression?" Venus responded. "I know what they do if they're in depression so that's why I want him to be watched carefully. Téa will return back to the good side, even at a price."

"At a price?" Kisara inquired. She and the others noticed that the Guardians were going back inside as the chill in the air rose. "What do they mean?"

"Who knows," Mai said, facing them. "Let's get inside and find Rebecca and Hathor." She then realized that she had to explain what Rebecca was doing here and who Hathor was to both Ryou and Bakura.

* * *

Yugi had not spoken a word at all to his friends as they made their way around the alleys, still searching for the missing Trinity members. He was lost in thought, pondering over many possibilities as to why Artemis deceived him. It seemed unlike her to betray him, after all her duty was to protect, not to destroy. He had to find out what was going on.

"Hey!" A voice called out in the distance. Everyone looked at the direction of the voice and found Kimberly raising her hand high in the air. She was also not alone because Rosemary was with her. "About time."

"You two were supposed to stay behind in your hiding place!" Matt scolded, first walking and then running towards them. He truly was upset that two of his experienced Trinity members acted as amateurs during the situation.

"Gee, nice to see you too." Kimberly remarked sarcastically, folding her arms together with a flustered look.

"Did those monsters leave?" Rosemary asked. She scanned their surroundings to be sure.

"They did, the cowards," Joey said irritably.

"Wheeler, isn't it obvious they don't like the light?" Kaiba pushed him out of the way as he walked by.

Joey blinked a few times before understanding what he meant. "That's just strange. I mean, how they can't stand the light."

"It reminds them of their eternal loyalty to Ra," Selene explained. "The Beasts of Chaos were once the Phoenix Dragons' servants until they were killed in battle against their nemesis, the Galactic Dragon. In turn, the Galactic Dragon revived them which resulted in their new servitude."

"But still why would Artemis, Yukai and Pluto betray us?" Yugi questioned, quite unconvinced of the current situation.

"That's something we cannot answer," Horus replied. "You have to seek them out from those three." He stared worriedly towards Yugi. "I fear the remaining the Millennium Guardians may have become influenced by them."

"But that's crazy!" Joey said aloud.

"No, Joey, think about it," Yugi inferred. "We haven't seen the Millennium Guardians ever since this all began when they disappeared, but they could be working together with our former friends."

"And you could not be more than right." A feminine voice echoed above them.

Yugi shielded his eyes from the bright light of the sun and discovered three shadows atop a building nearby. With closer observation, he soon found out who they were. "No way!"

"What is it, Yugi?" Joey asked, gazing up.

Nidoki, Forseti and Orpheus leaped down from the building towards the ground.

"But you can stay in the sunlight, why?" Yugi noticed the three did not retreat like their other siblings.

It was Orpheus who approached him, grinning maliciously. "Unlike those three, we don't possess the Beasts of Chaos so we can come out whenever we want."

"Luckily they did accomplish something," Forseti mused. "And what I mean is that Artemis and Pluto sealed away Ra and Ammon so we won't have trouble destroying you all."

"I regret to inform you that we have the Neo Guardians," Yugi reminded. "I guess they never told you that."

Nidoki flew off, outstretching her black butterfly-like wings. She waved her hand, creating negative energy around her which shaped into a sphere. She tossed it towards them as Forseti and Orpheus dodged out of the way. Yugi and the others moved as the sphere crashed into the ground, causing tremors.

The blast erupted and spread all around those close by. Smoke appeared as Nidoki descended, staying diligent of possible survivors. Four streams of light peered out and the Neo Guardians cleared out the debris to protect their masters.

"A lot of good that did." Forseti commented, noting how sloppy his sister worked.

"That is what I wanted them to do." Nidoki reassured. She concentrated all the power she had within her and aimed towards Set.

Yugi glanced out of the smoke and found that his Neo Guardian was about to be attacked. "Set, look out!"

Once Set realized what was going on, he immediately flew to safety high in the sky as the attack missed. Set was furious because more of his brethren had betrayed them. He could not fathom the reason for this, but he and the rest of the Neo Guardians had no choice. They were sent to get rid of those that threatened their masters.

"Well, I see you're not happy." Orpheus snickered at Set, flying towards him, and raised his arms in the air. He shot out multiple dark spheres directly at the Neo Guardian.

Ma'at came in between them and created a shield to protect Set. She guided him to the ground where Set kneeled down with exhaustion.

"Pathetic," Nidoki said furiously. "I thought you would put up a fight, Set. Oh well." She fired another wave of her attacks towards Set but metal flashed in her eyes.

Yugi had defended his Neo Guardian with his sword and he backfired the attack straight to Nidoki. She took the hit and crashed to the ground. The determined look on Yugi's face made her cautious of the next actions she made.

"Are you okay?" Yugi asked.

Set nodded in response and stood up. "_One Millennium Guardian is still missing."_

"What do you mean?"

_"We've only seen six, when they are really seven Millennium Guardians."_ He explained.

Yugi's eyes widened. "Apollo's not here!" he cried out. He glared at Nidoki, waiting for an answer. "Where is he?"

Nidoki frowned at this. Being reminded of their outcast brother was something she wanted to keep tucked away. Instead she changed her mind. "Even we do not know where he is," she answered. "We cannot even sense him anymore."

"He cannot be dead," Horus said, walking to Yugi. "We would know if he did, although Artemis never mentioned him."

"Like we need him," Orpheus responded furiously. "He's too soft and weak to even be called a high-ranking Genesis. Good riddance is all I have to say for my pathetic excuse of a little brother." His eyes held a glint of hatred as he said those words, especially turning towards Horus.

"Then maybe you don't mind if we torture you for some information." Joey said, summoning his Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

"And you three are perfect to tell us what we need." Kaiba joined in reluctantly. He called upon his Blue-Eyes White Dragon beside him.

The two dragons united, combining their attacks together, seemingly powerful enough to take down all three Millennium Guardians. The flow of light hit their targets and caused the ground to quake. It even cracked below everyone, but the Millennium Guardians had formed a barrier that concealed them inside. As for Yugi and his friends, the Neo Guardians quickly carried them safely away from the huge crevice now appearing where they once stood.

"How were those dragons capable of doing that?" Yugi asked.

"It was Thoth's special ability," Selene said, smiling. "He can power up any Dragon-types monsters when he's summoned."

"That was amazing." Joey replied, giving his servant a thumbs-up. Thoth apparently seemed to blush at the compliment.

"I guess your Neo Guardian isn't useless after all, Wheeler." Kaiba sneered. He received an annoyed look from Joey.

Out of the rubble that was produced, Nidoki, Orpheus and Forseti managed to free themselves and were unharmed in the process. They surprised Yugi that they had survived an attack so powerful, even without taking any damage.

"How futile." Forseti responded, glancing at the destruction of the buildings and roads.

"Not really, but we must depart before the mortals see us," Nidoki stared back at Yugi. "Looks like our job is complete. Ra, next time we will defeat you and finally succeed in the revival of the Dark Dragon." With that, she, Forseti and Orpheus disappeared into thin air.

"Dark Dragon?" Yugi pondered as the Neo Guardians brought them to ground level. "What did they mean?"

"So it is true." Horus ruminated. He glimpsed at the Neo Guardians, all of them sharing the same frightened gaze as Horus and Selene.

"Yugi, are you hurt?" Serenity asked, running to him. Her hands were shaking in fear of what might have happened to him.

"I'm still alive," Yugi pledged. "I'm just wondering what Nidoki meant about 'the revival of the Dark Dragon', that's all."

The three Trinity members could not believe what they saw right in front of them. Even they were shocked to see the great power that Yugi and the others had within them.

"This has been a fun day…" Rosemary said, twitching slightly.

"Yeah right, look what's happened!" Kimberly shrieked, gesturing to the chaos. "At least Los Angeles hasn't been destroyed yet. This surely didn't happen when Artemis was here." She realized that all eyes were on her.

Rosemary sighed. "Artemis was here, but she was still her same old self before we encountered the new self today," she clarified. "After she left LA, she didn't stay in touch with us anymore although… It was like she was hiding something from us."

"Why didn't you tell us until now?" Yugi inquired.

"You never asked." Rosemary retorted.

Yugi looked back at the Holy Guardians, wondering if they knew what was going on. He especially wanted to know what Nidoki meant too. Slowly, he made his way to them and breathed in deeply.

"Now I have another question; what is the Dark Dragon?" Yugi questioned.

"You mean 'who', not 'what'," Horus replied. He gazed towards the shadows shifting around before replying. "They're planning to revive my younger brother, Apophis."

* * *

Author's Notes: There will not be an update for next week since I'm leaving to go to Florida tomorrow, and I'm also working on another story that I want to start by the time I get back.

And this is me being lazy not putting in a summary of the next chapter. I'll leave the chapter title instead.

On the next _Struggle of Chaos_ - Chapter 26: Worlds Apart


	26. Worlds Apart

Chapter 26: Worlds Apart

Upon hearing what Horus had spoken, the Holy Guardian tensed up and turned away. He and Selene were both aware of what the Millennium Guardians had planned and now Yugi and his friends had to stop them before they revived Apophis. If not, chaos would erupt throughout all the worlds.

Matt shrugged despite remembering the tough time the Guardians themselves had when Apophis awoken from his slumber. Along with Kimberly and Rosemary, they had tried their best to locate a certain Guardian who had existed for centuries.

"This is not going to be easy," Matt said as everyone looked towards him. "A decade ago the Trinity searched for the Guardians' reincarnations, but we did so in vain… We were too late, but there was only one remaining Guardian who could turn that around."

"Unfortunately she isn't on our side anymore." Kimberly's shoulders slagged after making her response.

Yugi's eyes widened as he caught on what they were trying to say. He shook his head in disbelief. "You don't mean Artemis?" His only response from them was a nod.

Selene walked over to Matt, Rosemary and Kimberly and faced them. "You three tried your best," she began. "If you did not accomplish the difficult task at hand who knows what would happen today, or if there be a today."

Matt looked around and came back to the others. He wanted to make sure for Yugi and his friends to leave, there had to be no humans around.

"We'll take care of things here." Matt offered kindly.

"But what about the damage we and the Beasts of Chaos have caused?" Serenity inquired.

"Not like we've done the same," Kimberly replied cheerfully. "As long as no one saw you, then you'll be safe." Rosemary merely sighed viewing her two teammates' calm demenor.

"We should get back to the others in New York," Yugi said. He carefully walked across the debris that fell during the encounter with the Millennium Guardians. Then he examined his surroundings. "Let's hope for the best the Millennium Guardians didn't attack them too." Yugi gazed back at the Trinity members. "Are you three staying here?"

Matt shrugged. "It's our duty to clean up the messes the Guardians create anyway." He crossed both his arms and nodded in assurance.

Without further notice, a warp tunnel suddenly opened in front of Yugi. Its creator was none other than Horus who released its power in the first place. The Holy Guardian and Selene ambled forward and stepped in quietly, neither saying a word. Yugi avoided staring at them and instead peered at the ground. His baffled friends exchanged glances with one another and then bid Matt, Rosemary and Kimberly a farewell.

Making her way to the black portal, Serenity looked on worriedly towards Yugi. She was about to say something to him, but Joey rested his hand firmly on her shoulder, shaking his head. Serenity sighed and moved on.

A silent Yugi stood beside the warp tunnel, still lost in thought. After a few minutes passed, he entered and the passageway sealed. Finally on the other side Yugi realized his friends were waiting for him, but he walked away from them.

"Yugi…" Serenity whispered softly, watching him head back inside. She stared up at the sky, the sun beaming directly at her weary eyes. It was a tiresome night for everyone, and she said, "Maybe we should all rest for a little, it will do us no good if we don't."

The others simply nodded to each other, knowing Serenity had to be right. They needed to relax and not let the events that took place bother them for the tasks to come. Soon Serenity and her friends began to retire inside without a single word spoken by either of them.

* * *

The darkness had swirled around him. His shallow breathing was the only sign of life within the hidden veil that he could not escape. Everywhere Yugi looked, no methods to which break out of his prison. He would not let the shadows take over, to defeat Yugi who had been an obstacle to their plans. A cold chill crept up Yugi's spine; it made him swerve around looking for the cause. Yet he did not see anything until he gazed upon a lone figure in the darkness. Yugi's eyes widened in shock, but he had no idea of the person's identity.

_"Ra…_" A man's voice rasped from the figure. _"You thought you could flee but you have returned to this world. You lived with mortals almost your entire life and have yet to discover what lies beneath."_

"I don't understand," Yugi said. "And if I did, I would never be convinced to destroy them."

The being chuckled. _"Naïve fool, therein proves that you are weak just like the rest of our kind."_

"Our kind? Do you mean the Guardians?" Yugi questioned.

_"Another time, Ra." _The being replied, fading away into the shadows.

Yugi was not willing to let him go that easily. He chased after him just before he completely vanished. Managing to make his way to the figure, Yugi caught a glimpse of blue that were his eyes. He felt a similarity as if he had seen them prior to meeting each other. With that, the being vanished, and Yugi had stumbled back while in bed.

He found himself sweating and his bed in dismay. Yugi nearly forgot that he and the others came back to New York after the incident in Los Angeles. Slowly he got out of bed and stared at the window where the sunlight beamed softly on his face.

"It was only a dream." Yugi muttered to himself. He held his head, trying to shake off his recent dream.

Footsteps echoed down the hallway and then stopped by Yugi's door. Loud knocking was heard and Yugi peered in the direction of the sound.

"Hey, Yugi, are you goin' to sleep all day or what?" Joey said aloud from the other side.

"I'm up!"

"Want me to wait for ya?" Joey asked.

"No, I'll be down soon." Yugi answered.

Joey blinked and went on his way. He wondered if Yugi was feeling okay because he was acting strange and Joey grew suspicious. He headed down the stairs and confronted Serenity who looked at him depressively.

"Joey…" Serenity said.

"What is it?" Joey inquired gently. He noticed his sister walking away and indicating that she wanted him to follow her. Without further questioning Joey gone along with Serenity.

Serenity took him straight to the den and she sat on a chair while Joey stood up. She had to tell him something she was trying to keep from everyone, especially from him. It took all the courage for her to speak to him, but explaining her secret was the difficult part.

"About Yugi, I-I…"

"You love him." Joey beamed her with a friendly smile. Serenity gazed at him in surprise of how he knew. "I had a feelin' you did while we were in LA. Probably now isn't the best time to tell Yugi that."

"I understand," Serenity responded, standing up and hugging Joey. "He still may have feelings for Artemis."

"I doubt the feeling is mutual anymore." Joey said angrily. He was free from Serenity's embrace and he left the den quietly.

Suddenly Mai entered the room, looking baffled as to what had gone on. When she saw Joey pass by, she greeted him, but it seemed he did not acknowledge she was even there. Upon seeing where he came from, Mai thought Serenity knew what was wrong.

"Is he all right?" Mai queried, pointing a finger in Joey's direction. "He just walked pass me like I was invisible."

Serenity smiled and said, "Nothing to worry about, Mai." She shuffled her feet and walked towards her. "Let's go find the others."

Mai blinked in confusion, but complied. "Okay, I just hope you're right about your brother."

Both women went to search for their friends, hoping that they could find them in a house that was more like a maze. The trouble was entering the right hallway to get to a certain place, even the outdoors. They were soon led back to the stairway that guided them to their rooms.

"This is where we started, right?" Mai said a puzzled look on her face. "Just how do these Guardians navigate their own home!"

"Enjoying the latest installation to our home? The illusion feature is more of a defensive measure to confuse intruders," Jupiter said, but she could not help suppress a giggle. Serenity and Mai nearly jumped once they saw her next to them. "Where were you two going?"

"To find the others." Serenity replied.

"Funny, that's what I was doing." Jupiter responded. "Come on; no sense in leaving you here to wander forever and never reach the living room."

Jupiter escorted them in the right direction and they were actually nearby the living room from where they were. Serenity scanned the room, but she did not see Yugi at all. It became apparent that even Joey was not there.

"We certainly cannot plan anything until Yugi's here." Venus said, entering the room. She held something in her grips, and that was Kenji.

"So, decided to join us?" Jupiter asked Kenji. She glared at him which startled the Guardian.

"I learned my lesson. I know not to attack someone that isn't evil." Kenji said. His eyes looked on innocently.

"Good, I don't need to hear ya still think I work for the Beasts of Chaos," Joey's voice spoke behind them. He entered the living room and took a seat on a chair. "Yugi still hasn't come down?"

"I have him." Rebecca said happily as she clung to Yugi's arm. It appeared as if she was ignoring Yugi's discomfort.

"And Hathor?" Serenity inquired.

"Miho and Hanasaki are watching her," Rebecca answered. "We can't have her worried about what is going on."

"You got a point about that," Yugi said, releasing himself from her grasp. "Now that we know Atem and the Millennium Guardians betrayed us, we have to be more cautious and prepared of their next attack."

"What? That cannot be!" Venus yelled upon hearing the new information.

"It's true," Yugi inferred. "And they always get the upper hand every time we face them. They know our flaws and are not afraid to use them." He took out a small object from his pockets, staring at it sadly. He looked around for Nick and found him on the other side of the room.

The room fell silent as Yugi made his way across to Nick. Holding out his hand, he gave the item to Nick which gleamed in the sun's rays.

"Téa wanted me to give it back to you," Yugi said. "We'll get her back to our side, I promise."

Mai gazed at what Nick was holding and saw the engagement ring that Téa wore. She shook her head in disappointment and turned around. Then something occurred to her about how Téa had deceived them.

"Yugi," Mai caught his attention. "You said that Yukai is controlling her with the Millennium Rod, but in reality her mind is being manipulated. If we somehow convinced her that we wouldn't abandon her… Just why would she be thinking that? It's not like any of us would turn our backs on her."

Yugi raised an eyebrow in suspicion at Nick. "Is there something you two are keeping from us?"

Nick looked away. "Yugi…"

"Nick, this is important, if there's something you're hiding. Something that could help bring Téa back we all need to know." Yugi pressed.

Nick turned his brown eyes towards the group. "I fear for her, but also, for our unborn child."

"She's… pregnant?" Yugi asked in shock. The room fell silent; Mai looked slightly put out that her best friend had not confided this information to her. The Guardians were shocked but not entirely surprised by the news. They had sensed something was different about Téa, although they assumed it was the turn of evil, now they knew it was more. Even Rebecca had her hand covering her face, the corners of her mouth resisting the urge to turn upward.

"No wonder the Millennium Guardians were eager to have her on their side, it would give them the advantage." Yugi mused.

"I would have refused to agree to any plan that would have harmed her; even if she is being controlled by evil. I'll die before she's harmed in any way." Nick replied vehemently, grasping the ring tightly in his fist.

"I'd like to add, Guardians are prohibited from harming a mother bearing her child," Selene said, walking into the room. A sadden expression came upon her face. "Retrieving Téa back to our side will not be easy, and it will be our top priority when we confront the Millennium Guardians."

Yugi noticed that Horus was not with her. "Where did Horus go?"

"My brother is consulting with the other Holy Guardians about the dilemma we are in," Selene responded. "We do not want to harm our children as much as Nick does not want to either."

* * *

The unknown realm in Animus was filled with echoes of arguments. The Millennium Guardians were in dispute over the next plans they had. Within the shadows, Atem and Téa were becoming agitated over the ridiculous feud.

"Pathetic to see these immortal beings fighting about something so simple." Atem said.

Téa averted his gaze and watched the Millennium Guardians. "If you think it's so simple, why not tell them?" She suggested.

Atem shrugged. "There's no need to argue about that with you," he replied with a grin. "Maybe the Millennium Guardians can each attack the different worlds we're surrounded by."

"Well, Pharaoh, I must hand it to you that you aren't such a jerk after all." Pluto sniggered, overhearing their conversation.

Atem glowered at him and he saw all the Millennium Guardians had ceased their quarrel. "It was only an idea." He murmured.

"One that will work." Artemis said, smirking at her older siblings.

"Do we really need to listen to this mortal?" Yukai complained.

"What's wrong, Scarface, afraid that the Pharaoh can outsmart you?" Forseti taunted.

Yukai gritted his teeth. Ever since Yugi's sword slashed his face, the scar was left behind as a reminder of how he risked his own life for a friend. He could not always protect Artemis, but he knew she could handle herself without his assistance.

"The longer we wait; the more impatient Apophis becomes for his revival!" Nidoki declared. "We need Yugi out of the picture!"

"And that's why he's slowly slipping into the darkness," Artemis said. "A Guardian who has never witnessed Apophis' power will be drawn to him, just like during the Final Battle."

"What about Joey and Kaiba?" Orpheus questioned.

"Or our traitorous brother, Apollo," Forseti included.

"Trust me, he will be dealt with once he reveals himself," Artemis assured. "My twin brother thinks he can help Yugi but he can't prevent the inevitable fall of Ra!"

Atem stood in front of Téa as she moved away from them. "Won't you be thrilled once Nick is out of the way?"

Téa stared at him disgusted. "If I was the one responsible for his death, then yes." She answered. She managed to pass him and drift into the shadows.

Atem's eyes quivered and he turned back to the Millennium Guardians. He wanted Téa to love him, but he sensed that she still had feelings for Nick. Breaking their relationship was not a difficult task for the former Pharaoh to do since Téa was under Yukai's control.

* * *

Knowing that the addition of Nidoki, Forseti and Orpheus was an obstacle that had to be overcome, Yugi and his friends were determined to take them down. Combined, the Millennium Guardians were a threat, but as individuals they were not nearly as strong.

"Well it seems with the Beasts of Chaos on their side we can't use our Ka against them." Mai finally said.

"Or worse, they summon their Egyptian Gods." Ryou added fearfully.

Mai shuddered. "You didn't tell me about that!"

"But if we concentrate using your Ka on Nidoki, Forseti and Orpheus," Kaiba replied. "Those three are the only ones vulnerable and without Beasts of Chaos of their own."

"And there's only three Beasts of Chaos, am I correct?" Yugi queried Selene.

"Yes." Selene responded. "And yet I fear for what happens if they revive Apophis from his slumber. Horus' sword was removed when he was trapped in stone by both Artemis and Pluto, and it was an arduous battle to begin with."

Jupiter, Venus and Saturn nodded in agreement. They could remember how they struggled to defeat Apophis and the grueling responsibilities they had to take. For them, they wished the other Guardians were here to assist Yugi with their own extended knowledge.

"What troubles me is the fact that the Millennium Guardians referred to Apophis as a dragon. I thought his form would resemble a serpent." Yugi mused.

"That is because they have never seen Apophis' true form, the serpent." Selene answered. "They have only observed his dragon form."

"I'm guessin' few have seen his true form and they haven't come back alive to tell the tale." Joey replied.

Selene shook her head in response. "Apophis is a being not to be trifled with, he will not hesitate to strike," she continued. "It appalls me to think that Horus, Skyros and I are his siblings." Her eyes twitched slightly from saying the last sentence.

Kaiba abruptly stood up and headed towards Yugi. He stared directly at him as if he wanted to say something. "Yugi, you do know that in order to defeat the Millennium Guardians we must proceed in the same manner they intend to defeat us."

Yugi widened his eyes in realization. "Their flaws! Would it be effective?"

"To snag Téa back from their clutches, it would distract them long enough for that to occur," Jupiter examined. "I'm up for that."

"But without knowing when and where the Millennium Guardians will attack next…" Nick objected.

"Then we'll just have to wait!" Joey said.

"If we wait that long the Millennium Guardians will have already revived Apophis." Kaiba replied furiously.

Yugi stepped away from his friends and stared out the window. The cold wind blew against the windowpane as he pressed his hand on it. He remembered about the being in his dream, or if it really was a dream to him. It felt more like he was really in that dark place, but the only escape he had was waking up.

Serenity faced him and watched on worriedly. She could tell by the expression on his face that he was disturbed about something and yet she could not comprehend the true reason behind it. As she watched him, she made a silent vow. _Whatever is going on, Yugi, just know I'll always be there for you._ Serenity hoped she would be able to keep that promise.

* * *

Meanwhile in a different world not known by many, dark clouds accumulated high above the skies and enshrouding a peaceful town that a certain Guardian was dwelling. She gazed oddly at the clouds, wondering if there was supposed to be rain, but she sensed something unusual about them.

"Misty, what's wrong?" A woman asked, peering outside from her kitchen window.

Sephora remained silent for a few seconds and then faced Delia. "It's those clouds, Mrs. Ketchum."

Delia merely blinked in confusion. To her, the clouds seemed normal. "We may be expecting some rain, but I don't remember the forecast predicting it."

_Don't tell me the Beasts of Chaos decided to come here instead._Sephora thought to herself. She had anticipated that they would, explaining why she came back to the Pokemon World. Her friends would be in great danger if she had not arrived.

The back door to Delia's house was opened slightly as a yellow rodent ran on all fours and stopped by Sephora. Pricking its ears, Pikachu felt a familiar aura from the clouds.

A piercing roar echoed within the clouds and flashes of lightning struck. Sephora and Pikachu escaped from the bolts as a nearby tree crashed onto the ground. Upon where they stood, they could see a serpentine-like creature hiding above the clouds. At first glance, Sephora thought it was her imagination, but with further observation, she realized what the creature was.

"Mrs. Ketchum, try to get as far away from here as you can!" Sephora yelled out as the wind picked up wildly.

"What about you!" Delia cried out, carefully getting of her home.

"I'll be fine!" Sephora continued to yell out. Looking towards the sky, her eyes widened in astonishment. "No way…"

The creature emerged from the clouds, flapping its long wings and extending its sinewy body. It roared loudly enough for all to hear as lightning flashed once again.

Pikachu hid behind Sephora as it become scared from the two sets of jaws the dragon had. It had never encountered a creature like that before; even engaging in battle would probably end up having Pikachu lose.

"Yukai's back…" Sephora said softly, her blue eyes covered in tears. These tears were not from happiness; instead they were tears of anguish.

* * *

The sunny skies of Elysium meant a perfect day for everyone to be out and no one was wary of any possible attacks. They went on their usual business to do without the slightest worry at all.

Fiona leaned her back to the wall on Khepri's home as she absent-mindedly watched Khepri pick herbs from her garden. The Guardian grew bored not doing anything on a nice day, and she had relaxed enough as it is.

Khepri noticed Fiona's jaded look and sighed intently. She placed the herbs she picked into a small basket and walked towards Fiona.

"Well bored, are we?" Khepri inquired, stirring Fiona from her light sleep.

Fiona yawned and raised her arms in the air. "It's so boring to not do anything," she said. "I only came here to get away from the hectic work the other Guardians have to deal with."

Khepri stared at the shadows on the ground and then looked up at the sky. Dark clouds enclosed the once beautiful sky and the villagers headed to their homes as though waiting for rain to fall. Khepri sensed dark energy surging through the clouds and predicted that Elysium would be attacked as well.

"Fiona," Khepri said as the Guardian straightened herself from her dozed off state. "We're expecting some company so be prepared."

* * *

Well after figuring what to do about this chapter, I'm finally done with it! At first, it was a short chapter, but then I decided to add in more so I could smoothly go to the next chapter. Speaking of which, here's the synopsis:

With everyone working on a plan to stop the Millennium Guardians, it seems that they have plans of their own. This time they'll divide their forces and attack the five worlds. Yugi and the others are prepared to go after the Millennium Guardians, but they have to think carefully in which worlds to enter in, especially if they were home territory to the Guardians who have gain knowledge and experience living there. On the next Struggle of Chaos - Chapter 27: Invasion! The Next Step Begins


	27. Invasion! The Next Step Begins

Chapter 27: Invasion! The Next Step Begins

Rain poured heavily throughout Animus as the clouds stretched about in the sky. Below, the land itself was becoming drenched and kept everyone indoors. As the lush plant life benefited from the wet weather, something about the rain bothered the Guardians.

A pair of gray eyes watched from a balcony in the palace still belonging to the Dragon Dynasty. He knew that most Guardians were able to control the elements, and he sensed that one caused the rain.

"I'm surprised to find you here." Gaia said, standing by the doorway.

"Weather usually foretells events to come, even depict a Guardian's feeling." Uranus replied. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but quickly decided to change the subject. "Will the others be arriving soon?" Uranus entered the doorway, soaking wet. His robes were dripping and the droplets splashed upon the floor.

"Yes." Gaia answered. "Um, is there something bothering you?" She felt concerned for him now having to take over as temporary leader of the Guardians.

Uranus remained silent with his back turned away. Instead, he walked off alone as Gaia stared at him in confusion. Knowing the Guardian of the Void, Gaia, or any other person, could not break his stoic disposition.

Gaia looked back outside, realizing the rain stopped. "That's odd. There's some strange force exuded in the sky."

* * *

On Earth, Yugi and the others bickered over the possible attacks of the Millennium Guardians. They knew whom they were dealing with, it was mainly the trouble of trying to defeat them. The task proved to become harder and harder as Téa and Atem were brought up.

"See, it's not simple once your friends are at risk." Jupiter stated.

Yugi rose to his feet and sighed. "Everything that we try to prevent is already being thrown at us," he said. "There has got to be a way to beat them at their own game."

Jupiter's eyes seemed to light up as if she had an idea. "The answer was right there. Only Artemis could layout the rules and players."

"What are you gettin' at?" Joey asked. His arms were crossed and he stared intently at her.

"The rules to the game are to beat your opponent and the players are us," Jupiter explained. "As for strategy, the Millennium Guardians are pulling off deception as theirs and what is ours?"

"It doesn't seem like we have one." Serenity replied.

"Now we're getting somewhere!" Jupiter clapped her hands excitably. She noticed everyone giving her unusual looks. "And I'm not crazy, but to the point we need a strategy that will help us get the upper hand."

"We know their weakness is light but have no clue about Nidoki, Forseti and Orpheus." Yugi contemplated.

"Well, it's not that hard if you use the right Ka." Venus suggested.

Mai stood up and had a curious look on her face. There was still one thing she wanted to know. "How was I able to summon Ka?"

"A Millennium Guardian should have given you that ability." Saturn answered. Suddenly an ill-stricken gaze replaced his rather calm expression. "Which Millennium Guardian did that…?"

"Apollo." Yugi said. He recalled having not seen him at all when the Millennium Guardians appeared, and Artemis seemed upset about him, too. "There must be a reason he's helping us."

"Or it's some cover." Kaiba interrupted. He had surmised the missing Guardian was also up to no good like his siblings. After all, if Apollo's twin had fallen, what was stopping him?

"Just how are we going to handle the Beasts of Chaos?" Joey said. "We know our Ka don't do any damage."

"But the Neo Guardians can." Serenity replied, taking out Ma'at's card from her jean pocket.

"And are you confident that they won't use Téa like the last time?" Nick asked.

"Um, well…"

The holographic form of Noa materialized abruptly as he came with news. Before receiving it, Noa spoke to an angry and confused Uranus who had a terrible message to send back. It was very urgent so Noa had no choice but to interrupt.

"There's trouble in Animus." Noa said.

"It's nighttime over there so there's a slight chance it's one of the three Beasts of Chaos." Jupiter concluded.

"Not only there!" Noa cried out as a more distressed expression appeared on his face. "Elysium, the Underworld and Pokemon world are being attacked, too."

Yugi's eyes widened in shock. He never expected the Millennium Guardians to individually invade the different worlds surrounding Earth. The only wise thing to do was for everyone to split up.

"Okay, here's what we can do," Yugi began. "We'll need all the help we can get and some of us should stay here just in case the Millennium Guardians have other tricks up their sleeves. The odds are they'll be in their home worlds."

Selene had a look on her face as if she agreed. She approached Yugi and needed to tell him about her familiarity of the worlds the Millennium Guardians would be in. "Yugi, you must understand that these areas are very well-known to the Guardian that lived there." She said. "Being prepared for your opponents beforehand is the best option.

Yugi nodded. "I hope this does work."

Venus, Jupiter and Saturn spoke amongst themselves as they overheard Noa's news. They were very eager to help and were probably needed in Animus. The only problem was deciding who should stay on Earth…

"Well, we could always…" Jupiter shifted her eyes towards Kenji.

"We are so not leaving this world's fate to Kenji." Venus replied, folding her arms mockingly.

Kenji was not please by her remark and walked over to his companions. "I'm more than capable of handling this job!"

"You should let him have a chance," Serenity suggested, heading to them. "It's not like he'll be alone."

The three arguing Guardians stared at each other and then together sighed. Serenity was right, but they were not sure who was to stay with Kenji.

"Is anyone willing to remain here?" Venus asked. She realized no one seemed to be volunteering and her eyes turned to Ryou and Bakura.

"Oh no, you're not suggesting we stay!" Bakura spat.

"You two seem like perfect candidates," Venus said, her lips curling deviously. She wrapped her fingers together and looked on innocently. "Besides, if you came with us you'll likely be killed and we don't want that happening now, do we?"

Bakura raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What is your point?"

"Hmm, die or live?" Venus lifted her hands shoulder-length and exemplified her point by gesturing them in a sort of balance. "I'm sure you can decide."

Bakura's shoulder slouched as he began to notice what he and Ryou were being reeled in. Complying with Venus was the only way for her to stop pestering him.

* * *

Bolts of lightning generated above the sky as a red serpentine creature descended from the clouds. Its entire body levitated closer to the earth, but it also remained near the atmosphere. The roars echoed as if proclaiming its arrival to this strange world known only to few outsiders.

Sephora braced herself as the creature brought powerful gusts of wind to the land. She held Pikachu tightly in her arms so it would not be caught in the blasts. Her face was still covered in tears after figuring out who was behind the attacks. "How could he…?" Sephora cried softly. "All this time… I can't believe this."

"Misty!" A voice called out to her.

Sephora searched around and found who called her. "Brock!" she yelled. "You have to get out of here!"

Her friend ran up to her, catching his breath. "What's going on!" He inquired.

The Guardian gazed back at the monster. "Slifer the Sky Dragon," she muttered resentfully. At that moment, she felt another presence nearby. "Where's May?"

"She's with…" Brock paused as he saw Slifer prepare to attack them.

The Egyptian God charged up all its power in its second set of jaws. A sphere of light formed and aimed towards an unknown target. Then the attack released with full force. The sphere floated down and crashed into the forest, causing a quake to erupt. The attack was immensely powerful enough that a crater now appeared where the forest used to be. Slifer flew overheard as if searching for something. Its entire body stretched along the sky as more lightning flashed.

Sephora and Brock ran far away from Slifer, hoping that the dragon wouldn't find them. They were shocked to see the might of its strength and they didn't want to stick around to experience it themselves.

"If Slifer's here, then Yukai has to be, too." Sephora deducted.

"But why is it attacking?" Brock queried as they continued to run.

"What fools," Yukai muttered, watching them from the sky. He had his arms crossed and a sly grin formed on his mouth. "They'll never make it out of here alive. But, I can't harm Sephora although I doubt she still carries feelings for me."

Sephora sensed Yukai and she looked around for any sign of him. She stopped running and glanced at the sky, her eyes doubling in size. A lone being caught her gaze and immediately Sephora knew who it was.

"Yukai!" She screamed.

Brock came back to her once he realized Sephora was not following. "Misty!" He called.

"Well this ruined my grand entrance." Yukai mumbled.

"What's going on? You can't be working for the Beasts of Chaos." Sephora said, waving an arm to further show her disbelief.

Yukai stared straight at her with an evil gaze, which frightened her. "I'm one of the Beasts of Chaos!" he corrected. "And I decided to take a little visit back home." A maniacal grin grew on his face.

"But why?" Sephora begged for an answer.

"You'll know soon enough." Yukai replied as Slifer hovered beside him, poised to attack.

* * *

Meanwhile, a portal had opened to Animus from Earth. Although using the warp tunnel was now off-limits to everyone, Uranus had allowed Yugi and the rest to cross through.

The Guardian of the Void waited patiently outside in the courtyard for Yugi and the others to arrive. Ever since the Beasts of Chaos first attacked Animus, the Guardians took extra precautions to avoid future attacks. There was no way they were going to prohibit their home world from being destroyed, especially if it was by the royal family.

A black hole opened up as the air surrounding it became distorted. Venus, Jupiter and Saturn emerged out and followed by Yugi, Nick and Serenity.

"Home sweet home." Jupiter said, looking around for possible damage.

"I see you three have decided to come." Uranus replied in a bitter tone. He appeared irritated to see the three Guardians but tried to remain calm. Uranus turned his back. "We suspect that Artemis is here."

Yugi raised an eyebrow. "Funny, that's what we thought."

Gaia appeared and walked into the courtyard. She seemed rather surprised to see Jupiter, Saturn and Venus come as well, although she expected at least one of them to accompany Yugi. "Have you three forgotten your duties?" Gaia asked.

"Ohhh, you mean guard the Mortal World?" Jupiter answered, trying to play innocent. "Kenji's doing it."

Gaia shrugged. "Don't alert me when the Mortal World is gone." She stammered back indoors, muttering a few words under her breath.

Uranus merely gave her an odd look and then faced Yugi. "Already, there have been reports of certain Duel Monsters attacking parts of this world," he began. "One of your mortal friends is behind it.

"Then Téa's here?" Yugi questioned, baffled.

"This is our chance to get her back on our side." Serenity said.

Uranus didn't really understand what she meant, but the look on Nick's face told him all he needed to know. He even made sure no Guardian or Trinity member would harm Téa since she was Yugi's friend. It wasn't easy as they also shared the same frustration with him.

"I've taken my time to let that woman attack the cities around here, but I'm losing my patience," Uranus responded. "If she continues her onslaught I will have to take drastic measures - as in she will be destroyed."

Nick was not too fond of his idea. He glared at Uranus, but the Guardian was not fazed at all.

"Mortal, in these times there will be sacrifices made." Uranus said. An icy look was plastered on his face.

"You don't understand…" Nick clenched his fists tightly.

"Uranus! Téa's pregnant, and you know we're forbidden from harming a soon-to-be mother." Jupiter snapped.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Uranus questioned, as he was growing impatient. "I'm not letting our world be destroyed just because one mortal is at risk."

Yugi sensed something creeping within the shadows. He examined the courtyard closely and discovered the shadows were moving. Knowing who it had to be, Yugi held on to Set's card as a precaution. Even Serenity caught on as the arguing Guardians finally took notice of the danger. They waited for the shadows to materialize itself before attempting any attack.

"I thought as much I would find you here." Artemis's voice spoke inside the darkness. Her form appeared in front of them as her blue eyes glimmered evilly.

"Where's Téa?" Nick asked her.

Artemis smirked at him. "Feeling worried for your dear wife?" She sneered. "What a dedicated husband you are, but rest assured she's safe. All I need is Yugi, and none of you should interfere!" She walked nearer to them.

Yugi narrowed his eyes. He summoned Set to his side and that stopped Artemis. The Wind Guardian was not pleased by the arrival of the Neo Guardian. Then Serenity and Nick called for their Neo Guardians.

"Do you think those three can stop me?" Artemis inquired, proceeding forward again. "Nothing will prevent us from reviving Apophis and you will eventually perish."

"You can't be serious!" Jupiter reprimanded. "Apophis was our enemy and he even wanted to destroy you. Why have you gone to his side?"

Once again, Artemis paused. She lowered her eyes in disappointment and resentment. "You would never understand…" She whispered.

Yugi stepped forward as Set followed him. "We're your friends. You can trust us."

Artemis lowered her gaze. Trusting them was her only problem and she did not want to fall into any trap.

A small chuckle escaped her lips and a lunatic look crossed her face. "You're never the same person you were again once you've experienced the insanity that I was put through," Artemis said. Her lips then curled into a devious smirk. "I once understood the concept of 'Where there is always Light, Darkness follows,' so whatever good I try to do, only evil comes out of it. Instead of running from the dark I welcomed it."

Yugi nodded in curiosity as he listened to every word Artemis spoke. He tried to comprehend the malicious feelings that were going through her, and it led back to the dark being he confronted before in his dream. Could it be that Artemis met him and was somehow convinced to face the darkness? It did not seem she turned away from its compelling grasp.

"You're just like Paris," Uranus stated, folding his arms across his chest. "Alike the destruction of Troy, you were destined to bring the downfall of this world."

"Now you see me as the threat?" Artemis questioned. "I thought I was similar to Cassandra whose powers of foreseeing were put down by men."

Yugi approached her cautiously. "There's more to this, I know."

Artemis shook her head. "I'm not dreaming. I know this is all real and I cannot get out."

"By now I expected you to have destroyed them." Téa's voice echoed. She emerged from the shadows with a strange being beside her.

A crown sat atop the figure's head and she was even dressed in colorful royal robes. She glided gracefully towards Téa, ready to attack at any given moment.

"What is that?" Venus asked, perplexed by the being.

"Cosmo Queen. She may not look tough, but a strong Dark monster does have its hidden secrets." Téa explained.

"With her strength, I'm surprised Cosmo Queen has the same attack points as Invader of Darkness," Artemis added. "Of course this should be interesting to see whose is stronger: Téa or Nick?"

Uranus stepped forward. He gritted his teeth in anger. "Would you quit playing these games already?" He yelled. "It's just like you to use a ploy that nearly done us in years ago."

Artemis closed her eyes. "But it wouldn't be fun if there wasn't a price to pay. I've laid out the game pieces and the players have made their moves. There's no backing out now."

Yugi had just heard enough of Artemis's little "game." He knew what they were doing was dangerous and everyone seemed to be at risk. No matter what, Yugi had to win.

The shadows swirled around Artemis as blue eyes shot open from the veil. Low growls reverberated and Sekhmet leaped out, crouched on all fours. Her long fangs gleamed in Yugi's eyes, menacingly waiting to plunge themselves deep in flesh.

"I'm aware you probably brought the Soul Sphere to use against me," Artemis patted her Beast's head affectionately. "And also, Yugi, I know my father's sword is with you."

Yugi flinched from drawing his sword. He didn't bring the Soul Sphere because he gave it to Kaiba for when he departed to the Underworld. It was the only object that could protect him and Kisara from the harsh and freezing conditions.

"I'll judge by the look you're giving me that you don't have it." Artemis concluded, smiling childishly at him. "Those mortals you call friends will only lead you down the path of sorrow and hatred. We're both part Guardian, surely you feel that no mortal can beat us."

Yugi nodded. "You think that but I don't!" He exclaimed. His head pounded as if he felt guilty inside himself.

"You've seen him, haven't you?" Artemis questioned. She ambled slowly to him, her footsteps breaking the silence.

"And what if I had?" Yugi said back defensively, turning his head away. He shuddered when Artemis stood in front of him.

The darkness emitting from her was strong, almost enticing to him. There was no way he could fall into its hold. The air became distorted as the world around them melted away. A cold atmosphere chilled Yugi and did little harm to Artemis. This dimension seemed impervious to her and yet Yugi understood where he was.

"Your friends can't see it but you and I can." Artemis said.

"What is this place?" Yugi inquired, staring at it inquisitively.

"You created this world within your very heart," Artemis answered profusely. "This is the darkness that is waiting to be unleashed. Apophis wanted to show you that you're not a force of light. You're destined to work for evil."

His eyes quivered in anger. He couldn't be what Artemis said. Was he truly evil? Yugi thought she had to be telling him lies. It could not be true. Ra was born of light, not darkness. However, could it be possible for the reincarnation to decide his fate?

The world began to fade away as they were brought back to reality.

"Yugi!" Serenity shrieked. She noticed him stumbling back as if coming out of a trance. Running towards him, Serenity held onto his shoulders and glared. "What have you done to him!"

"Nothing physically painful as I'll do to you." Artemis retorted. She outstretched her right arm as a silver staff formed in her hand.

Serenity prepared herself, moving closer to Ma'at whilst carrying Yugi. His weight felt more of a burden to her. She had to protect him at all cost.

There was a gleam in Artemis's eyes and she had them on Uranus. Her dazed out expression might have been some deceptive tactic she had.

Uranus stirred from her gaze, his hands shaking in fear.

"Your mind is still an open door to me," Artemis said. "Pitiful, but I can still enjoy this."

Yugi shook his head and stared up at Serenity. He noticed determination was on her face. Most of what Artemis said caught his attention and at the same time bothered him.

He pushed Serenity out the way and moved forward. "What do you mean?"

Artemis tapped the bottom of her staff, scraping the ground which created tiny sparks. She appeared to be not paying attention to him and was only interested in her fidgeting. A rhythmic beat resonated with each tap and continued to irritate Yugi's patience.

"I see no one has told you." Artemis replied at last. She stopped the rhythm and looked up. Her eyes glowed sinisterly.

The air began to cool down, growing colder with each passing second. Peculiar energy surged about, not belonging to either Artemis or Téa. The air suddenly became unbearable as the group tried to breath. It was apparent that the oxygen level within the courtyard was decreasing.

Yugi and the others stood immobilized, unable to catch their breaths.

"Oh, Uranus, finish them off." Artemis ordered.

Yugi shifted his eyes towards the direction where Uranus was, but found he was gone. He turned back to Artemis and realization hit him. Uranus stood beside her, staring blankly at them.

* * *

Dark, gray skies darkened the serene landscape of Elysium. Most residents expected rain, but nothing fell.

Khepri glanced towards the sky; concerned about the way it felt supernatural to her. The locket she wore glowed brightly as she clutched it tightly. She didn't know if Fiona saw its mystical aura exuded from it.

Suddenly three shadows emerged and materialized themselves as Nidoki, Forseti and Orpheus. They confronted Khepri and Fiona, grinning callously.

"Well, is it not wonderful to embrace this darkness?" Nidoki questioned. She reached out to the sky and giggled.

"Fiona, haven't seen you in awhile." Orpheus said. He noticed she wasn't too thrilled to see him.

"Oh shut it!" Fiona spat. "I thought only three people were responsible for the damages caused by the Beasts of Chaos."

Nidoki grinned. "Actually you have gotten that wrong," she said. "All but Apollo have turned to Apophis' side."

Khepri's eyes widened and she covered her mouth in shock. She looked on horrified, especially towards Orpheus. "How could this be…?" She whispered.

"So, the three of you are here." A voice spoke in the distance.

Without warning, feathers flew about and a figure tore through the air. Only Orpheus and Forseti were attacked, and Nidoki's necklace glowed which alerted her of the danger beforehand.

"A simple tactic like that will not work on me!" Nidoki yelled.

Appearing from the treetops was Mai. Her Harpie Lady took position beside her with her wings outstretched. Her claw-like hands were sharp and deadly enough to cut through flesh, but both Guardians she attacked seemed unharmed.

"You came alone?" Forseti asked, puzzling over how she came without assistance.

"Actually, I didn't." Mai replied confidently as Selene made her way to them.

"Underestimating a mortal's strength was one fatal error you made," Selene said. "They're stronger than you think and now you'll pay the price."

Fiona glanced at Selene, sensing an incredible power surging through her. She understood that this was one Guardian to not be trifled. "Selene's a Holy Guardian?" Fiona gasped.

Selene arched her head towards her. "What you see before you is the form I had before I became one," she explained. "My true form has yet to be revealed, but the Guardian of the Afterlife has forbidden Horus and I to display them to you."

"You have also gained a mortal shell to conceal that form." Nidoki went on.

Mai paid closer attention to their conversation. The information intrigued her, even though she hardly knew what was going on. Although they were stalling, Mai was eager to get rid of the Millennium Guardians and return to her friends.

"Nidoki, this is wasting our time!" Orpheus complained.

The said Guardian gritted her teeth and she took a deep breath. "Very well. I will not tolerate any failure we have done, and a mortal and a deceased Guardian cannot stop us!"

Nidoki generated power within the palm of her hands. The negative energy shaped into a sphere and she launched it at Selene.

Selene dove back and produced a transparent shield around her. The sphere cascaded and lunged towards Nidoki, causing an explosion. Electricity cracked as wisps of smoke curled about Nidoki's body.

"Selene!" Mai called out. "You have any idea why they're here?"

A distilled silence fell upon the area.

Khepri ambled to Mai with a worried gaze upon her face. "They're after me. Only I hold the secrets of the past."

"Then you have to -" Mai was cut off. Khepri had raised her hand to silence her.

"No. My duty has always been to guard these secrets and one day pass them on to my successor, but right now everything is at stake." She continued. The locket thrummed against her chest. "I truly understand my purpose here as do the Guardians. They were reincarnated to pursue what their destiny decreed since their birth. Isn't that right, Orpheus?"

He lashed a glare at her, upset over her lecture of destiny. Years ago, he would have agreed with her, but putting aside the past and looking towards the future was his philosophy now.

"How did you know his name?" Mai inquired, curious to find out. Elysium never kept much contact with the other worlds so she assumed Khepri had not much knowledge on the Guardians.

"As protector of their secrets, I know each of the Millennium Guardians' names. I had hoped we met under better circumstances." Khepri answered.

"Your lies are meaningless to me," Orpheus said bitterly. "And for that, we will take your life along with the very secrets you hold!"

"Then fighting you will be my pleasure." Khepri replied. A strong magical veil exuded from her entire body.

* * *

The darkness had become much stronger as Kaiba and Kisara wandered through the Underworld. The atmosphere felt cold and misty to the touch. Shadows moved as if they were alive, waiting for their prey. Life in the Underworld was still dead as it always been. Nothing much had changed since Kaiba last visited, but a powerful demonic aura shrouded it.

Kisara walked behind Kaiba, feeling the terrible evil with each step of the way. The Soul Sphere dangled freely beside her chest, its light scaring away the shadows.

They had come across a huge crevice that blocked them from going forward. The black abyss appeared endless and dangerous. Barren land continued on the other side and the demonic aura was stronger there.

"Pluto knows we're coming." Kaiba concluded.

"If that's so, why hasn't he attacked us?" Kisara queried.

Kaiba brushed passed her and peered down the crevice. His eyes scanned the region, watching out for deceiving activity. He whipped around and fell back as an immense being shot out from the canyon.

The blue creature pounded the earth and revealed its grotesque form. Red eyes glared daringly towards Kaiba and it gave off deep roars.

"Obelisk the Tormentor." Kaiba said.

"Bravo, Kaiba. You remember the Egyptian God you once controlled." Pluto appeared next to Obelisk. He seemed proud to have the same monster that Kaiba used to have in his possession. "I'm impressed you two managed to get this far. No ordinary mortal could have survived by now."

"Cut the small talk, Pluto!" Kaiba responded angrily. "That won't distract us, and I know you want to fight us." His eyes narrowed in suspicion. Why didn't Pluto summon Shesmu?

"Excellent, I shouldn't be holding back then." Pluto eagerly accepted, giving them an eerie smile.

"I imagined the Guardian of Darkness to be more like… you, Seto." Kisara pondered. She placed a fingertip on her chin.

Pluto lowered his gaze. His face was smug and he wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Don't compare me to him. We're not alike!" He clenched his fingers together into a fist.

Kisara blinked. She glanced at Kaiba and Pluto, noticing that they were giving her frustrated looks. They did, indeed, appear alike to each other in her eyes, but their negligence had hindered another similarity. The only exception was that Pluto's eyes were a brighter shade of blue, almost like ice while Kaiba's were similar to an ocean hue.

Sighing in defeat, she called upon Blue-Eyes White Dragon just in case Pluto was planning to attack her for her wandering thoughts.

"I feel so pathetically sorry," Pluto said suddenly. A sincere face replaced his icy gaze. Both Kaiba and Kisara were alarmed by his response. "I wanted nothing more but to rule this universe, but my siblings decided my father was well-suited for the job. The spell Artemis and I cast on him wasn't strong enough to contain him, so he eventually broke free."

"Then where is he now?" Kaiba asked.

"One thing we did fulfill was lock his spirit in Duat, a place ruled by my grandfather Osiris," Pluto explained. "He can't get out unless a true power of light frees him."

"Why are you telling us this?"

Pluto stared down. "Just a warning before I actually destroy you."

Kaiba smirked and started to laugh. "Heh... funny. You seem so sure of yourself when you don't realize it will be you who's destroyed."

Obelisk roared as a response to Kaiba's words. It lifted its huge fist in the air and crushed the ground. Kaiba and Kisara dodged and swiftly moved across the dead earth. Blue-Eyes flew above, watching out for danger.

Pluto's face turned pallid. He understood that fighting these two would be a challenge, even if he had an Egyptian God on his side.

"Not bad, mortal," Pluto complimented. "I admit your power may be strong, but it doesn't matter. My powers are derived from the darkness, and we're totally surrounded by it." He stretched out his arms and black energy convulsed through him. "No mere mortal can survive the pain I was put through, which is why I won't hold it back."

Kaiba's eyes widened. Shadows swirled and the air became thinner around him. His vision was distorted as he could barely make out both Kisara and Pluto.

"What's going on!" He demanded.

Kisara quickly turned around and her face became horrified. "Let him go!" She pleaded to Pluto.

The Guardian simply stared at her. His need to destroy was becoming stronger and stronger as he felt Kaiba's negative emotions. The shadows enclosed Kaiba, sealing him in. Pluto continued to look through what drove Kaiba to be the person he was now. It was always something that intrigued him. He had searched the minds of many humans throughout his years and came to the conclusion they all had a dark side, even if they didn't know it themselves.

Kaiba's body stood stiff. He was gazing out to a world of infinite darkness and he was all alone. His heart beat fast. Could this be fear he was feeling? The experience had somehow terrified him, understanding how most of Pluto's victims felt when he ensnared them.

Kisara ran towards the thick clouds of shadow and tumbled back. She pressed her hands on the large orb and realized she was unable to go through it. Her eyes glanced towards Pluto who was suddenly right in front of her.

"You can't free him," he muttered. "Nothing you do will work. The darker side of Kaiba has been revealed to me and he'll suffer in his worst fears." His grim smirk expressed how much he enjoyed Kaiba's torture.

Soft whispers echoed as the shadows made grumbling sounds. It gave Kaiba an uncomfortable feeling. He knew no one else but him was inside. Yet it appeared the walls were closing in on him, prohibiting him from escaping.

"Damn," Kaiba spat. "Pluto's playing his mind games on me." His hands clutched tightly. He sensed his energy was draining and he seemed more vulnerable now in this dimension.

Familiar voices reverberated in the distance. From his position, Kaiba could make out Yugi's voice, then followed by Joey and Mokuba. He also thought he heard his deceased parent's voices.

Kaiba proceeded in search of these sounds. The surroundings changed and soon he stood in front of the Kaiba mansion. His home looked desolate and old, like no one had lived there for years. Suddenly Kaiba turned around and found Mokuba behind him.

"Seto," he said weakly. His black hair lay dismayed and his clothes tore and ragged. "I thought you were dead."

"What?" Kaiba replied. The wind blew, revealing more to his location. Everything reminded him of what the Underworld looked like. "Mokuba, explain to me what happened."

His brother drew nearer to him. "All this damage was caused by you, Seto," he said. "Yugi and Joey tried to stop you, but they failed. Their strength wasn't enough to defeat the Guardian of Darkness."

Kaiba grabbed his brother's shoulders. He didn't believe what he had told him.

"I'm not that bastard! I would never hurt anyone!" He yelled.

"You weren't aware that you were destined to claim Pluto's power." Mokuba continued. His eyes quivered and he could no longer bear to stare at his older brother.

"I would never do this!" Kaiba shouted. "How could I be destined to have Pluto's power?"

"You're next in line to take his title."

Kaiba staggered back. He held his hand to his temple and shook his head repeatedly. Surely, it could not be true. It had to be a lie!

He stared down at his hands, shaking wildly. The darkness seemed attracted to him as he watched with the corner of his eyes. It hungered, the craving felt so strong that Kaiba could sense it.

"See, you can't stop it now." Mokuba said in defeat.

"This can't be real." Kaiba gestured towards the shadows.

Mokuba blinked. Then he began to leer. "How observant of you." He spoke in Pluto's voice. A black veil absorbed Mokuba's form and was then replaced by Pluto's presence. His black robes flapped in the soft breeze that was created. "To think, I couldn't fool you," Pluto stepped forward, his cloak revealed the sword hidden beneath its sheath. "You can't possibly deny the truth. Destroy me, and my powers will transfer to you. It's the kind of power you wanted."

Kaiba glanced in disgust. "Not by your method," he said back. "Where's Kisara?"

"Obelisk should take care of her. Her Ka doesn't stand a chance against the power of a god, and you won't either."

_What does he mean he has the power of a god?_ Kaiba thought. He realized his surroundings changed as everything transformed to a shadow land.

This world was not the Game of Darkness Kaiba had known it as. Somehow, he had the feeling he was within the depths of Pluto's dark heart.

* * *

Author's Notes: Took me long enough to get the chapter, but I was being lazy from typing one of my longest chapters. Now it's finally done. Anyway, here's next chapter's synopsis.

Hearts sealed shut in darkness; the Millennium Guardians will stop at nothing to win this game. Even so, Yugi, Joey and Kaiba are trying to battle their own dark sides from taking over them. Will they be able to conquer it? On the next Struggle of Chaos - Chapter 28: Liar


	28. Liar

Chapter 28: Liar

_ I'm hurting you for your own good_  
_ I'd die for you, you know I would_  
_ I'd give up all my wealth_  
_ To buy you back the soul you never sold_

Emilie Autumn - Liar

The dragon slowly descended towards its master. Its entire body curled around Yukai as if about to strangle him, but did not have that intent. With its claws outstretched and gaping jaws, one would think the dragon was more than willing to kill Yukai.

Yukai gazed down at Sephora in disappointment. "You know I expected you to bring a certain someone here," he said, looking around curiously. "Not that I care blond boy would even come."

Sephora stared baffled at him. Was he talking about Joey or—

Suddenly Slifer roared loudly and gave a glare to Yukai. The Guardian had perceived some disobedience unlike with Anhur. Slifer was never meant to be evil, especially at the hands of someone who used it as his or her Ka. Yet Yukai's rage and hatred was so strong that Slifer couldn't break free from its bond with him.

"Now, now, no need for that temperament," Yukai said calmly. "That is if you still listen to my weaker half."

"It can't be," Sephora replied as she tried understanding what was going on.

_In a Game of Darkness, he could fully maintain Slifer's power, but in this realm, he can't,_ she thought. _The rules of Duel Monsters changes._

"Look at the big and scary Yukai. He can't even control Slifer," Joey shouted, walking in the distance. He grinned mischievously.

"Tch, I'm not amused," Yukai growled. His hands clasped around the hilt of his sword. The symbol of his family shimmered in the lightning. "Though I can't help but wonder why you're the only one who came. Did it finally sink in that we shall succeed and not you?"

Joey arched his head defiantly. "No," he answered. Closing his eyes, he breathed in deeply. "You think you have the upper hand, but all you've done is hurt the people you once cared about. What kind of friend does that?"

Yukai remained still. He had not removed his eyes away from Joey ever since he had arrived.

His thoughts felt scrambled and confused. Yukai was determined to go all-out and kill Joey, yet now his brutal feeling failed him. Why were they fighting each other?

Sephora, on the other hand, watched curiously, as Yukai stayed silent. Behind his motives had to be a real reason. There had to be or else Yukai wouldn't be acting like this.

"We're all ears, Yukai," Joey tried to persuade him to talk. "Call off your dragon and I promise no harm will be done."

An evil laughter was his response.

"Idiot, I thought you would have caught on by now," Yukai muttered.

Joey raised an eyebrow, not comprehending what he meant.

"That's not Yukai." Sephora stepped forward. She let go of Pikachu who had small sparks shooting from its cheeks.

"And I'm losing my patience," Yukai interrupted. "Slifer, destroy them!"

Its wings flapped as its long body uncurled. Lightning flashed more as Slifer roared at the sky. Somehow, it no longer had control over itself rather now Yukai proved who was in charge. A dark aura emanated from Slifer and at the same time felt strong.

"Unfortunately our time grows short," Yukai replied. He gradually landed to the ground and confronted Joey. "Apophis will not tolerate any failure. It's been far too long already and his arrival will bring about humanity's end along with the universe."

Joey smirked. "Not unless Yugi, Kaiba and I risk our very lives to put a stop to your evil ways!"

Slifer opened up its jaw to launch one of its attacks. The electricity burst through the air, heading straight for Joey.

Quickly, Joey summoned Shu who deflected the attack with a mirror-like barrier. The Neo Guardian maintained his shield in an attempt to backfire Slifer's attack. Bolts of light cracked along the air as the barrier returned it with full force.

The Egyptian God tried to move away, but the attack struck. An explosion followed and could be seen from far distances.

"What was that about?" a blond-haired trainer questioned, gazing at what he saw. He turned back to a large, green creature with a flower blooming on its backside. Its big eyes looked at him oddly.

Suddenly it faced its head towards the direction where Slifer was seen falling from the sky. The trainer noticed this and his eyes widened. He took out a round object colored red on top and white on the bottom.

"Venusaur, return." He said promptly before he discovered a young woman standing by a tree.

"Nick, did you see that?" she asked, running towards him.

"May, where are the others?" Nick inquired. He wondered why May was all alone. He recalled earlier she was with Sephora and Brock.

"I don't know." May embraced Nick, startled by what was going on. "I hope they're okay.

"Then we'll just have to find them," Nick decided, and May left go of him. He started on his own and was soon followed by her.

"How was that possible?" Yukai yelled, drawing his sword. He realized that Slifer didn't disappear normally as it did; rather instead, the dragon was unconscious. "My monster was more powerful than Shu. It doesn't add up."

Joey glared at him. He then glanced to Sephora, Brock and Pikachu. Content that they were unharmed, Joey was now willing to face Yukai fairly. After all, a god's power was never to be underestimated.

He remembered the time he faced the power of the Winged Dragon of Ra. That duel nearly took his life away, but he wouldn't allow himself to give up. The promise he made with Atem after he dueled the Rare Hunter and to save Mai was too strong to be broken.

_I'm not gonna let this freak get away with all the damage that was done,_ he thought. Joey gazed towards Shu receiving a nod. _It's a hard price to pay, but I want to protect my friends and my only family left…_

"Mortal, are you going to stand there like a moron?" Yukai said, snapping Joey out of his thoughts. He watched inquisitively and with admiration.

"From here on I will stop you and I'm not givin' up either!" Joey declared.

Yukai smirked. He had imagined Joey's promise would only end up in regret. It wasn't as if he had suspected it since he, too, made a promise with someone long ago. The problem was she now became a different person.

"I can see you're very dedicated and loyal to your friends, but quit denying your feelings," Yukai replied. "One day they'll turn their backs on you and leave you out in the cold. I mean, friends depart after being together for many years and sometimes you never hear from them again. It's a consequence to pay, just wanted you to know."

"That isn't true!" Joey shouted. He clutched his fists, responding to his anger.

Sephora looked on, realizing these were the beliefs Yukai once held many years ago. She knew he couldn't forget about how he felt betrayed by Artemis for the first time. Long-term friendships to him were nothing more than to be broken in the end.

"Joey, he's not going to listen," she said softly. She tried hard to fight her tears. "Yukai's trying to provoke you so you'll eventually attack with no plan to take him down. It's a method he learned from experience."

"I bet from himself, the bastard." Joey muttered.

"Oh, you're referring to me?" Yukai stood in front of Joey, pointing his sword at him. "You shouldn't be the only one to talk. If I remember correctly, where was it…? Ah, yes, your past."

Joey did not respond. His eyes made contact with Yukai's.

A sudden rustling made Yukai turn around. He heard a certain hum coming nearer to them. The tone sounded familiar to him, like some sort of classical piece.

Nick emerged from the trail he took along with May. He had been humming _Ode to Joy_ when he caught sight of the others. He stopped, glancing at Sephora, then towards Yukai.

"Misty, what's going on here?" May asked, approaching her.

Joey stared in confusion at Nick. He didn't understand what 'Nick' was doing here or why he looked different judging by his eye and hair color. The Nicholas King he knew had brown hair and eyes while this one had blond hair and blue eyes.

"Nick, is that you?" Joey questioned.

"What are you talking about? I don't know you," Nick answered. He stared back, perplexed.

"Fool. That isn't really him," Yukai replied. "Or should I say was a _part_ of him?"

Slifer suddenly appeared behind him, walking on all fours. Its tail swayed gently as it moved in a snake-like motion. Yellow eyes glowered down at Joey, discovering that Yukai was not pleased by Shu's attempt to stop them.

"I see Slifer hasn't been destroyed," Joey said, smirking, as he had expected not to. He watched intently on any sudden attack by Slifer.

"Hm, a Divine beast versus a Light creature. This should be interesting." Yukai responded.

"Ash, why are you doing this?" May cried out. She didn't fully fathom the situation she witnessed before her. Was this even the friend she traveled with years ago?

Yukai had not spoken. Granted, he despised his mortal name so much because it reminded him of destruction. The fire that rained down during the Final Battle and his home world turning into ruin as he was incapable to do anything. All the fault of one person. That one person destroyed his very life and left him to crumble.

"Don't call me by that name again!" Yukai roared. His sword flared in flames, reacting to his anger.

Joey had to get the others away from this fight. He knew Yukai wouldn't hesitate to kill them at any given moment. Their lives were in his hands now.

Slowly, he stepped in front of Sephora and the others. "This battle is only between me and Yukai," Joey said.

"But he's our friend," Nick protested, facing him.

"The friend you used to know is gone," Joey exclaimed. "Whatever happened to him six years ago could be related to his disappearance."

Sephora covered her mouth in shock. The anonymous letter she found that day. There had to be some connection.

"You've changed, Yukai," Sephora said, almost as if she was pleased. "I can't help but wonder if you accepted a part of yourself."

Yukai arched his head away from her. He understood what she was talking about and it was probably time to reveal the true nature of his actions.

He lowered his sword. No need for battle now before the explanation had to be dealt with. Perhaps there was a chance to convince Joey into understanding what he and the rest of the Millennium Guardians had in mind.

"You want to know why we want to resurrect Apophis?" Yukai asked.

Joey watched him cautiously. "Go on."

"Only he has the might to wipe all life forms from any of the five inhabitable planets," Yukai explained, pacing around Joey. "Artemis, Pluto and I were his only threat and we alone could withstand his brutal ways. Apophis has shown us how corrupt we are."

Thin air seemed to surround Joey as Yukai continued to walk in a circular motion. The Guardian's words did sound rather cruel, but it was the only way to find what he and his siblings were accomplishing. The very definition of corrupt glued to Joey's mind. What was it that made him feel so insecure?

Yukai narrowed his eyes keenly at him. "You should know. After all, you're now part human." He continued.

"Your mind is clouded with mixed judgment," Joey replied. He gave Yukai a smirk. "Tell me, why should humanity suffer and not Guardians?"

"We are superior!" Yukai quickly pinned Joey down and threatened him by driving his sword to the ground. "All mortals are weak and insignificant. Vermin that should be exterminated!"

Joey kept the corner of his eye towards where the sword landed. It was a bit close to his head so he thought Yukai had really intended to kill him. He took notice of the scar across Yukai's face. Yugi's sword was powerful enough to penetrate into the Guardian's skin, even close to destroying him. Joey knew Yukai was only trying to protect Artemis.

"There is some good left in you," Joey said at last.

The Guardian stared at him, shocked. He slowly moved away, looking at the ground.

Sephora stepped forward. She kneeled down and gazed at Yukai. Her hands gestured Yukai's head to face her as she nearly gasped at the scar.

"I had to protect her. I had to." Yukai responded.

"Because you made a promise." Joey stood up, walking to them. "That tattoo on your right arm. It's a strange design for someone who draws their power from the sun."

Yukai reluctantly rolled up the right sleeve of his robe and revealed the black sun and crescent moon mark on his right arm. Jagged edges around the sun caught Joey's attention as he remembered the intricate design.

"Not that it matters." Yukai pulled his sleeve back up. "I added in the symbol my power derives from as a little reminder to never forget the day my life was changed."

"But you can't just live and grieve over the things that were done in the past." Joey lowered his head. He had heard enough of Yukai's accusations and needed to prove he was wrong. "My friends and I stick together no matter what the situation is. Even when Marik controlled me, I wouldn't let that stop me from saving Yugi."

"Oh really?" Yukai remarked with a grin. "You've neglected your true feelings for the runt. Deep down, you loathe him."

Joey's eyes twitched. He couldn't believe what Yukai was saying was true. He had been on Yugi's side for years, but it seemed like Yukai knew more about him than he did.

"Enough of this!" Nick yelled. He approached them, not fearing the consequences that would come about his decision. "Everything you're saying, Yukai, sounds screwed, even for you. You shouldn't be pitting our feelings against us."

"Naive mortal, this is between me and him!" Yukai roared. He gritted his teeth in anger. "For someone who talks like that shouldn't interfere, unless you want me to remind you about who you really are."

"My past is of no concern to you!"

"Maybe not me but perhaps to Joey." Yukai stated. An evil gleam in his eyes made Joey feel uneasy.

Shadows swirled, surrounding Yukai. A cold wind swept and brought a foreboding chill to Joey. It was faint, but he could sense the darkness inside Yukai. The terrifying emotion was very strong and dangerous.

Yukai's eyes began glowing red as a dark aura shrouded Slifer's body. The air around everyone became colder, and the impending doom that Joey perceived earlier had come true. A black light engulfed Yukai and Slifer, causing a disruption in the sky.

"What's happening?" Joey shouted, shielding his eyes from the debris. He scanned the area to make sure the others had not caught themselves in the maelstrom.

Shu created a barrier to protect Joey from the danger. He suspected an event like this was bound to occur.

_"It appears we will not have to wait any longer for Yukai to reveal his true form,"_ Shu spoke telepathically to Joey. _"Performing evil tasks such as this is unforgiving and results in a mutation of the Guardian who committed the crime."_

"Ammon's servant is right." Yukai's form peered through the gale, but he looked even more sinister than before. His red eyes glanced down at them. "I've become just a mere memory of the Yukai you used to know. He doesn't even exist with us anymore, fortunately."

Joey noticed something awkward about him. He thought he recognized a similar encounter six years back. "How did you come back?" Joey demanded an answer.

"Yukai's dark half was always a part of him," Sephora slowly strode to them. "We referred to him as Erebus because he took over whenever Yukai was at a point of extreme rage. His negative emotions are what feeds Erebus."

"Like a parasite." Joey remarked. He stared, disgusted towards Erebus.

"It wasn't my fault I was set free," Erebus said. His eyes flashed with anger. "Yukai became emotionally frail in which he willingly allowed me control over him. You know why that happened? He had the power to reign an entire empire, but his mind was poisoned with thoughts of betrayal and abandonment."

"He did have a problem of putting the past behind him," Sephora replied.

"Not only that. Yukai nearly destroyed Animus!" Erebus turned away as if ashamed by the truth.

"Even so, you can't justify his actions by that," Sephora continued. "I don't care if he should be condemned to a lifetime of torture, but… the Final Battle was what changed us." She tensed a bit as she tried finding the right words. "You can't blame Yukai. The only person who did manage to stop his rampage was Artemis, and it hurts me when I see them together."

Erebus stared at her. There was more to Sephora's tale that she didn't bring up. The surprising fact was that she admitted how she felt about Yukai and Artemis's relationship.

"It's simple to say we all have a dark side to ourselves. Right, Sephora?" Erebus noticed her flinching. He had caught her in his trap.

"Unlike you, we don't let it manipulate us." Joey approached him closer.

"_Preteritus mos forever obsideo nos._" Erebus spoke in Latin. "The past will forever haunt us. Remember that before I end your lives."

The black storm he started earlier had dissipated and an entirely new creature replaced Slifer. Its yellow eyes glowed menacingly as it bared its sharp teeth. The demonic beast flapped its wings which were also claws, and gave out a loud ravenous roar.

"Pluto once sealed these demons in the Underworld but now they have arisen again," Erebus explained. "Their powers rival those of the Egyptian Gods. To think they nearly took down a Millennium Guardian. It would be a mistake to not have them by our side."

The monster took Joey aback. He noticed how fierce it was, possibly even more powerful than Slifer.

"Uria, Lord of Searing Flames is one of the three Sacred Beasts." Erebus crossed his arms, grinning. "Thanks to my weaker half's contribution, it'll be the last creature you will ever see in this world!"

"Nothing but a sin," Joey said. He lowered his gaze away from Erebus. "Envy as I like to put it. All you do is desire something that you know you can't have, but you're more than willing to destroy anything in order to get it."

Erebus couldn't help but suppress a laugh. He was almost too impressed by how Joey figured out what was going on. It was safe to assume the rest of the Millennium Guardians also committed a deadly sin of their own.

He then felt an odd presence building within him. The world seemed to be turning dark as he tried resisting this feeling. Suddenly he realized he wouldn't be able to contain himself with this other presence.

His eyes shot open and he gave out a yell. "Well, I see you're back…" Erebus said to himself, baffling everyone.

"What's this?" Sephora mused. She immediately ran over to him and grabbed his hands. "Yukai, I know you're still here! Fight back!"

Erebus dropped to his knees, quivering in fright. A golden glow radiated from his body as if purifying him. He grasped Sephora's hands tightly and he appeared not willing to let go. Quickly with his free hand, he reached for the Millennium Rod hidden behind his back. He stared at Sephora with a sincere smile.

"I don't have much time," he said. Pikachu dashed to him, sensing that this was the real Yukai. "I'm sorry for all the damage Erebus and the others have caused. Ever since Ra has been found, evil will stop at nothing to destroy him. As the Guardian of Light, he has powers that even match up to Pluto's and Apophis's." He delicately patted Pikachu's head.

"So the Millennium Guardians' disappearing act was intentionally?" Joey asked, and received a nod. "But what happened to you all?"

Yukai remained silent. He then took notice of Brock, May and Nick with them.

"Darkness is everywhere," he replied gently. "Somehow Apophis has been around us, watching. We assumed this when we discovered his petrified body was gone. He… has a way of revealing our dark sides, and believe me that wasn't a pleasant experience." Yukai seemed to cringe, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his head.

"Then tell us, how can we defeat Erebus if it'll only have you destroyed?" Joey continued to question. He had to use this opportunity while he had the chance.

"You _have_ to destroy me." Yukai looked at him as if pleading for him to do so. "I can't stand it any longer. Being immortal may sound like a good thing, but time after time, I had to agonize through suffering. Suffering that nearly cost me my suicide."

Sephora gasped as she heard him utter those words. Suicide was the last thing she would have least expected him to think.

"The slaughter of those people, it was merely a reflection of your true feelings," Sephora said, walking to where his sword lay. She finally put the pieces together about the recent murders that took place on Earth. Despite what the letter claimed, it was all Erebus's doing. "You're truly a murderer."

"Call me a monster if you want, I deserve death than remain alive." Yukai stood up. He eyed his sword beside Sephora. "Go ahead. Kill me with my weapon like I did to you."

The others became shocked. Although it was true that Yukai and Sephora loved each other, it appeared that heartache, betrayal and sorrow came about their relationship.

"Do it before Erebus returns!" Yukai ordered.

_"There is no need." _Shu came forward. A crestfallen gaze was expressed on his face. _"If you allow yourself to be drawn to the darkness, your evil half will continue tormenting you."_

"No…" Yukai whispered. "I've been a mistake from the start. I should have died from the start!" Tears formed in the corners of his eyes.

"Throwing everything away just like that, I don't think so," Nick said, determined to change his mind.

"You're not alone," Joey added. "We can help you pull through this."

Yukai shook his head. "It's too late. My strength is failing me so there's nothing you can do." He winced slightly, knowing that they would never harm him.

A cloud of dark mist formed around his body. Yukai had used up his time to speak with his friends, perhaps forever. He breathed a good-bye to them as his soul was sealed within the prison of his mind. The rather kind mask was replaced with a displeased Erebus's. He looked angry, cursing himself for having Yukai free.

Joey grew tireless. He stood there, helpless to save a friend from danger. "This time you're going down!" Joey proclaimed as he summoned Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

Flames rained down from the sky as a black apparition descended. Wings formed followed by a sheer body belonging to the dragon, and anger was shown in those bright blood-red eyes.

Erebus was not intimidated. "So, you're going through with Yukai's wishes?"

"To eliminate you, then I have to," Joey replied. A part of him didn't want to. He couldn't forget seeing the haunted look Yukai gave as he had known his fate all along. "Yukai's responsibility was to protect Yugi and rule his world, but all that crashed and burn."

"Everything in this universe was destined to fulfill a goal." Erebus settled down Uria's impatience as he realized how enraged it was. "Yukai was born to be the destroyer of Animus, Pluto's purpose is to be the unwilling aid to the evils of the universe. As for Artemis, she was created to kill Yugi."

"That can't be true." Joey clenched his fists.

"But you'll love this; Kaiba was fated to take Pluto's title, and you will just go down with the rest of your allies." Erebus enjoyed the stunned expression on his face. "Once evil consumes you, there's no turning back."

Sephora had a terrible feeling about all he was saying. "This is all Apollo's doing," she said. "He's the Guardian of Prophecy so he premeditated this from the beginning."

"Well, there you go." Erebus took this chance to grab his sword and allowed Uria to attack.

The demon rose high in the air, opening its jaw to release a powerful spark. It aimed to take down Red-Eyes along with the rest below.

Red-Eyes created a huge fire blast and shot it towards the oncoming attack. It had hoped, by some miracle that both targets intercepted, negating each other.

_"This will not do,"_ Shu said, turning to Joey. _"Uria is much stronger than your monster. If Red-Eyes's attack fails, you will receive the amount of damage."_

"I wouldn't take that for granted." Sephora didn't appear afraid. "This world is different and the rules apply differently. To me, it's just another battle."

Joey stared at her with confusion. At first, he wondered why she hadn't even tried to make a move on Erebus, but then he caught on. They were in a different world, which explained why the others were not too surprised when they saw Slifer.

"Shu, Uria is vulnerable at this moment," Joey explained.

The Guardian remained still.

"Trust me. This will work." He assured.

Shu departed into the air, avoiding the previous attacks that had just crossed each other's paths. The impact eliminated one another and gave Shu an opportunity to go on with his maneuver.

Smoke covered the sky as Shu went through. He attempted to make out Uria's form, noticing that it was gliding around him. Its snake-like body coiled closer, giving little space to move, and trapping Shu. He struggled to free himself from the bind and he noted that he was in range of Erebus.

Knowing it was a risk to take, he used his free hands to generate a fire sphere. He hurled the attack as Erebus noticed his plan.

Erebus raised his sword and repelled it. He shot a glare at Shu. "Pathetic. You made a foolish mistake, Joey." He realized something was wrong. Why was he grinning?

Instantly, Erebus was enveloped in a whirlpool from out of nowhere. He suddenly recognized the rain falling brought about by his thunderstorm. "Sephora." He muttered.

"Just like Yukai, Erebus isn't that bright until it's too late," Sephora said, maintaining the whirlpool she created, "and as a fire element his powers should be weakening."

Uria released Shu and tried to help Erebus. Each blast it sent was useless.

"Bet he never expected that!" Joey cried out happily.

"I wouldn't count on it," Nick said. He pointed towards the whirlpool, which was slowly evaporating. "He's just full of surprises."

Erebus tore through the barrier, his body encased with a red aura. He had somehow produced enough heat energy to diminish the whirlpool.

"I may not be the Guardian of Fire, but this will do." Erebus smirked. "Perhaps it's time I show you all what I'm truly capable of."

Sephora collapsed to the ground, exhausted from the power she used. By controlling the clouds, she had summoned the rain and it was enough to make her vulnerable. Calling upon the rain took most of her strength, and unlike Mercury, she couldn't perform the method often.

Nick held out his hand to assist her.

"Thank you." She said.

"I'm afraid to ask what Erebus has in mind for us," Joey said. Something inside told him Erebus was prepared to get rid of them.

Raising his sword in the air, a maniacal grin crossed Erebus's face. "There's plenty I have in store, and none of them are very pleasant."

Uria was the first to strike as it blasted Red-Eyes from high up in the sky. Unfortunately Joey received the damage as he felt pain shoot through his body. Erebus dove down, narrowly evading Shu who tried stopping him. Shu wasn't going to let him go after Joey. He tried to catch up with Erebus while Joey was defenseless, but Uria stood in his way.

"Joey!" Sephora yelled. She stared horrified as Erebus drew closer. She couldn't move to wake him before he took serious injury.

Then Nick stood in front of Joey's unconscious form. He had not acknowledged why he was protecting him, but he sensed had to. Perhaps his true identity had hidden away some secrets that had yet been revealed.

Joey's eyes opened as he saw Nick staying beside him. He tried speaking, but words failed him. An agonizing roar diverted his attention as Red-Eyes lay on the ground. Uria's attack had weakened it to the point it could not defend its master.

Erebus stopped, angered by Nick's defiance. He was only a few feet away from him with his sword ready to strike. "Move out of the way!" he yelled.

"Pass through me first," Nick replied, not threatened at all. He was going to remain as long as he wished.

The Guardian narrowed his eyes. Firmly, he grasped his weapon, knowing this person wasn't much of a risk. "You made the most fatal error crossing my path," Erebus said, and swung his sword.

Joey gazed, appalled to find that Erebus was successful. Nick fell to the ground, clutching his deep bloodied wound and breathing heavily.

Erebus held his bloodstained sword as he walked over. His dark, indifferent expression had not shown any signs of guilt from his actions. He grabbed Nick with one hand while carrying his sword in his other.

The others felt powerless to do anything, knowing their friend was badly hurt.

"That was the most imprudent thing I have ever seen!" Erebus grasped Nick's neck tightly. "If you were still your old self, you could have been on my side, but I don't understand. Why don't you accept your past?"

Nick struggled to speak, but Yukai's grip made it difficult for him. "I've changed," he said. "The pain I caused was best forgotten."

The Guardian tossed him aside and stared in disgust. He mumbled to himself when he suddenly confronted Joey face-to-face.

Sephora and May ran over to Nick as Brock and Pikachu caught up to them.

"He's not going to survive…" Sephora whispered.

"No, this can't be happening!" May cried. She kneeled beside Nick, saddened by his current state.

"I rather feel better making this sacrifice than remember who I was once," Nick said softly. He wanted to say more until Sephora hushed him. Death was a hard price to pay and she wanted him to rest peacefully. However, she knew that could not be possible until Erebus was dealt with.

"You bastard…" Joey growled. First Tristan, now Nick. How much more agony could he take? "I hope you rot in hell for all this! How can you not feel ashamed and still continue your insanity?"

"I did him a favor." Erebus sheathed his sword. "Besides, it's not like he's killed before. You're looking at the newly-reformed Shadow Phoenix."

The name triggered a swarm of memories in his mind. Joey should have recognized this Nick as Shadow Phoenix. No wonder Erebus seemed to know about his secret, and yet Nick saved Joey. He wouldn't have done so if he were evil.

Sephora released Nick's cold hand and stood, bewildered. There was hurt written all over her face. "He didn't deserve death…" she muttered.

She could hardly watch as Pikachu also felt upset over what Erebus did. Its cheeks sent small cracks of electricity and shot each bolt at Nick, attempting to wake him up. Instead, it failed and Pikachu let out a soft cry.

Simultaneously six rays of light appeared around Nick's dead body. Each formed into unusual creatures and they had their eyes set on Erebus.

"Nick's pokemon got out," Brock observed. He watched as Pikachu joined them.

"Are they supposed to scare me?" Erebus snorted. He began to laugh; such creatures like these were not aware that he could wipe them out easily.

Something else attracted his attention. A glow had surrounded Joey as roars echoed. Erebus could not believe what he was witnessing. Long wings, a body and a head shone through the light emitted by Joey. Ammon the Bronze Phoenix Dragon had awoken again.

Erebus's nightmare had come true. He stared, paralyzed with fear. "No one should have been able to break Pluto's spell unless… That son of a bitch failed!"

"Nothing but a sin," Joey said once more. His hands were shaking at his sides and he gave an agitated glare. "Your first mistake was pissing me off, which includes murdering not once but twice!"

"I thought you hated Shadow Phoenix for what he had done to you years ago," Erebus replied defensively. "You still mourn for him when you don't even know how he lived here."

"Forgot us?" Sephora advanced forward along with Brock and May. "He changed from his evil ways and accepted who he was. Now you're the one that has to be destroyed."

Astonished by her remark, Erebus stood silent. It was ironic that the former Shadow Phoenix was seen as good while he was evil.

A powerful wind swept as he sensed an eerie warning. He had to leave. The time he spent seemed wasted, but the extent of damage he caused would prove pleasing. Erebus didn't want to go back empty-handed to Artemis, knowing she would become furious.

The shadows circled Uria, covering its entire body. It was being recalled back to the world from whence it came.

"You're not going anywhere!" Joey shouted.

Ammon responded to Joey as Shu appeared beside it. The pokemon combined their attacks to form into one, each move was their strongest. Along with Ammon and Shu, they could easily take down Erebus in one hit.

Erebus was caught off guard and he received the full force of these attacks. He felt numb, realizing Pikachu's electric attack had stopped him cold. His weaker half experienced this many times in the past, either by mistake or intentionally. There was one time his long-time partner had tried to revive him after blocking the attacks of Mew and Mewtwo which caused him to become petrified.

Something about Yukai made him ponder why he was reincarnated into this world, and not on Earth like the other Guardians.

Seeing that the attacks had actually made Erebus collapse to the ground, Joey rushed over to find him. He urged the others to stay behind just in case. Joey stepped quietly as he neared Erebus. The Guardian lied unconscious with eyes wide shut. That seemed too easy.

Abruptly, Erebus woke up and turned to his stomach, clutching his chest. His arms shook, maintaining his body weight. He coughed blood a few times and struggled to stand upright.

"How dare you…" Erebus growled. He wanted to summon Anhur, but was too feeble. Most of his energy had drained trying to confine Yukai and Slifer, and summoning Uria. "I will get my revenge. You won't be lucky next time, Wheeler!"

With that, a black portal opened up behind him. He jumped in, casting a glare towards Joey's direction. Then the wormhole closed.

Joey glanced at the others. To him, this was not a victory. They had lost someone, even if the person was once on a different side.

The sky began clearing, the clouds that hovered disappeared, and the sun was setting. Whatever power restrained the peace had left and the world was back to normal.

"He's gone now…" Joey said, gazing at the sky.

"Nothing much we can do," Sephora responded. She looked back mournfully at Nick. In addition, she had nearly forgotten about Delia, but how was she going to tell her about her son? Delia hadn't seen him since his last visit six years ago. "I can't go to his mother and lie to her about him. I just can't!"

Brock placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "She might not be fooled this time. Mrs. Ketchum knows what Yukai is, but it's your decision."

"You're right." Sephora turned her attention to Joey. "I have a lot of explaining to do when we return to Earth. The others are probably expecting us by now."

Joey continued to stare at the sky. The evening stars shone high above, and a thought crossed his mind. Ammon was free from its prison. Only Pluto could break the spell and he was on the side of evil. Whatever had gone on in the Underworld might have contributed to the battle here.

Still, Joey didn't move his eyes away from the beauty of the stars. After all, their power was also the source of Pluto's.

* * *

Author's Notes: Hooray for another chapter done… In any case, I don't know when I'll even begin the next chapter, but just enjoy what's to come.

There can never be any sympathy for the evil actions one takes in the past. It all began in a world of eternal night and ends there. As darkness surrounds Kaiba, he'll have to confront the anger within Pluto's heart. Next chapter 29: Hopeless


	29. Hopeless

Author's Notes: Well this has been collecting dust since 2006. I'll admit, I stopped working on _Struggle of Chaos_ after I started losing interest in the Yugioh fandom and just wasn't up to finishing. Until recently, a good friend of mine and fellow author Linkin-Phoenix has decided to take the task of completing _Struggle of Chaos_. It's now become a collaboration, him writing the chapters while I handle revising and share ideas that never came to fruition.

Anyone new to reading this fanfic, there are two fanfics that predate _Struggle of Chaos_. Those being _Pharaoh's Servant_ and _Dark Crisis_. I'm mentioning this now because it is very likely you'll get lost. I honestly don't even want to recommend reading them because my writing was horrid back then. But I can't stop you so tread cautiously. :P

Disclaimer: All Yugioh-related characters are the property of Kazuki Takahashi. The character Nicholas King belongs to Linkin-Phoenix, and the Guardians appearing in the fanfic are my creation.

* * *

Chapter 29: Hopeless

_Silent I go under, I am not afraid  
I can see the daylight shine and slowly drift away  
Safe to say it's over, sink into the grave  
There is nothing left inside but I am wide awake  
I can hear the devil call my name_

Breaking Benjamin - Hopeless

Kisara's Blue-Eyes White Dragon screamed as Obelisk the Tormentor glanced its wing with his fist. Kisara staggered, feeling the pain shoot through her body. She knew that if Pluto had complete control of Obelisk she would already be dead. Looking over to the battle between Pluto and Kaiba, she gasped.

Pluto stood over Kaiba, his eyes rolled back in his eyes so only the whites were showing. The dark aura surrounding Kaiba had thickened to the degree that Kisara couldn't see him; she made a silent prayer to her god Ra that he was safe before turning back to her battle with Obelisk.

Inside Kaiba's mind, or was it Pluto's soul? Seto Kaiba couldn't tell anymore as he wandered in the mist. He felt urged to continue, he wasn't sure by what but something pushed him to continue deeper into the darkness. Despite feeling as though he were on a large plain or plateau, his footsteps still echoed off the cold, hard black floor. Kaiba stopped and looked down, disturbed by the fact that he'd been walking for some time. The mist around his feet remained stagnant and intact by his walking. The wrongness of this room was reinforced to Kaiba, he wanted to get out. He felt nervous unease creep into his stomach as he examined the area. His body told him to run but his mind told him to keep going.

Kaiba clenched his fists and walked on through the unmoving mist. In the distance he noticed an object which pierced light in the sea of darkness that was consuming him. Picking up speed, he soon approached the object; an oval-shaped, silver-rimed, full length mirror. The glint of the polished metal was being picked up by the unearthly glow that lit the area. Cautiously Kaiba reached out, the cold metal for some reason filled him with dread. Something inside him warned him not to look at the mirror, the feeling told him it was dangerous. Defiantly he ignored the feeling and yanked the mirror around. He should trust his feelings more...

Staggering backwards, Kaiba tried to process the image, it was him, but it wasn't. Staring back at him was Pluto in full Guardian regalia, staring back at him was himself in full Guardian regalia. It was him but it wasn't, it was Pluto but it wasn't.

"No! I'm not, I can't be him! I refuse, I am Seto Kaiba!" He shouted vainly, but the mirror disagreed. It didn't repeat his words back to him and instead it said, "Yes, I am, I am him, I accept, I am the Guardian of Darkness!"

Kaiba uncharacteristically screamed in fear, trying to run in any direction away from the mirror. Unfortunately he ran headlong into a solid black wall. Falling back, he realized that black wall was Pluto in his human form.

Pluto laughed. "Typical Seto Kaiba, running away from your destiny - from the truth! How many times have you done that in your life? How many times must you be dragged kicking and screaming towards destiny? It is unavoidable, it is undeniable you will become the Guardian of Darkness."

Kaiba scowled, gathering himself. "_Nothing_ is inevitable. I am Seto Kaiba, I make my own destiny. I do not have it decided by others. I have always made my own destiny, I do not have it dictated for me!" He already heard enough talk about destiny from Atem and he certainly wasn't going to listen to the words of a crazed Guardian.

Pluto crossed his arms, smiling smugly. "Really? Then look in the mirror." He pointed a finger towards said object.

Kaiba growled. "No..."

"Why not, are you afraid?" Pluto challenged.

"Seto Kaiba is afraid of nothing!"

"Except yourself." A smaller voice declared.

"What!" Kaiba yelled, rounding on the voice and only stopped when he discovered it was Mokuba which made him even angrier. "Damn you, Pluto! Enough with these games, I refuse to play this stupid nonsense with you!" He wasn't easily fooled by the disguise Pluto took this time.

"Then stop acting like a fool and listen!" Mokuba cried as he transformed back into Pluto.

"Why should I listen to someone who's trying to kill me?" Kaiba demanded.

"You idiot, he's not trying to kill you. If he wanted to kill you, he would have done it by now!" Nick yelled.

"Get out of my head, King, or I will beat you into unconsciousness."

"That's your way out, isn't it? Lashing out, anger at the world that you think is trying to hold you down?" Yugi asked.

"But it doesn't work; it just leaves you alone in a world that already scares you." Mai pointed out.

"You always push everyone away because you're afraid of what you'll become if you don't." Téa continued.

"You can't accept yourself for what and who you are." Joey added.

"Because if you did, you'd die!" Yugi replied gleefully, an unusually sinister look was cast on his face.

"What!" Kaiba yelled, more in surprise as he was being surrounded by several apparitions taking the form of his companions. He tried regaining his composure but somehow their words were hitting their mark.

"And we'd like that." Téa's normally peaceful eyes were appearing more like a murderous gaze.

"You should die!" Joey shoved Kaiba to the floor, noticing his futile attempt to back away.

Mai bended down to Kaiba's level and yelled, "Die!"

"Die!"

"Die!"

"Dead!"

"Dead!"

"Dead!"

"Dead!"

The apparitions continued their onslaught of taunts as it began echoing in the enclosed space Kaiba was trapped in. He covered his ears, trying to block out the torment.

"Nooooooo!" Kaiba roared as a bright light overtook him. It radiated out, eliminating the apparitions of his friends and leaving Kaiba back where he started, in a room empty save for the mirror and Pluto lying on the floor.

Kaiba slowly got up off the floor and slowly staggered towards him. At first Pluto seemed unconscious. Suddenly his eyes snapped wide open and were fixing on Kaiba which made him jump slightly.

Pluto sat up, looking Kaiba in the eyes. "Thank you, mortal... I briefly lost control to my darkness. Help me up... Uh, please?" He asked as if it pained him. There was even a meek smile.

Begrudgingly, Kaiba pulled Pluto to his feet, watching him carefully. Pluto noticed and grinned. "If you're afraid I will suddenly go mad and try and stab you, I can assure you, mortal, I will not."

Kaiba snorted, still not comforted by his words. "We'll see." Pluto moved away from Kaiba, slowly steadying himself of the mirror. "You are the sane, mostly sane version that I knew during the Dark Crisis then?"

The Guardian nodded. "Yes, mortal, the darkness inhabiting my soul can't touch us here. That is why I brought you. Your destiny is decided, I need you to accept it." He held his hand out, motioning towards the mirror.

Kaiba laughed. He crossed his arms to further show his skepticism. "Weren't you listening?"

Pluto wrinkled his nose and then shook his head. Seemed the CEO was still at it with his disbelieving of destiny. "I heard what you said. Now listen to me, you damned fool. If you don't embrace your destiny everyone you love, everyone you care about, and even those you respect but can't admit to, will die and it will be your fault!"

With amazing speed, Kaiba grabbed Pluto by the collar. "How dare you!"

Pluto laughed, narrowing his eyes in glee. "Get as angry as you like, it changes nothing. You are destined to become the Guardian of Darkness and in the greater scheme of things your role will be almost more important than Ra's."

Kaiba paused, more in astonishment than shock. Slowly his face returned to default with an arrogant smirk. He released the Guardian from his grip. "More important than Yugi..."

Pluto rolled his eyes, fixing his collar. "Don't get too attached to the idea. Yugi is still the most important piece in the puzzle. Without him we will lose, but you..."

"What about me?" Kaiba growled.

"You are the balance, or will be. You will ensure that everything remains in balance, that darkness doesn't overwhelm the light and light doesn't overwhelm the darkness. You will bring equilibrium to the universe." Pluto explained. He continued fidgeting with his collar before turning his eyes to Kaiba.

Kaiba blinked several times. "Are you sure I'm the correct person for this..."

Pluto paused. "It is your destiny."

"Why?"

Pluto blinked, turning around. "What? Did I lose you somewhere?" At this point the Guardian was ready to bash his head against a wall, already sensing that precious time was being wasted.

"Why is it my destiny? Why have I been blessed with this gift?" Kaiba questioned.

Pluto laughed again. "You weren't blessed as you put it... you were born to it."

"Born... you mean?" Kaiba asked, finally putting it together.

"Yes, you may have been born on Earth and raised by Gozuburo Kaiba, but your parents were actually born on Animus. Yugi's, Wheeler's, Gardener's, even King's parents were born in Animus," Pluto went on. "We tried not interfering with the affairs concerning the Pharaoh's memories, mostly due to wanting to see whether you would succeed without us. Artemis was stationed to watch over Yugi to confirm he was Ra's reincarnation before the time came to reveal ourselves. Then of course, I made my grand appearance." He grinned as he made his remark.

The CEO clenched his fists. "Are you telling me the Guardians have been guiding us, all of us to this moment... our lives controlled and crafted to suit the needs of the Guardians?"

Pluto paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "No... yes... You were put on the paths to bring you to the point where you would meet. You were all always destined to meet and craft the future of Animus. Some of what had occurred was a surprise, even to us..."

Kaiba snorted. "Now what does that have to do with what's been going on?" He continued playing along with Pluto as a precaution. A Guardian like him could not be trusted after all.

"If I were you, I'd watch your companions carefully," Pluto advised. "Two have fallen in Artemis's grasp and if she has either you, Wheeler or Mutou, it's over. You'll lose the game."

Kaiba smirked. "I don't think so!" He narrowed his eyes. "Even if that girl took King's girlfriend and that good-for-nothing Pharaoh, the fight won't end until we take you and your siblings down!"

Pluto grew intrigued by the fueling desire inside Kaiba. It was what he feared the most to occur; the pride contained would be unleashed and corrupt Kaiba's heart. The Guardian had known that Artemis planned to defeat them mentally rather than physically. Frankly the idea seemed impossible but Artemis appeared confident that it would work. She was manipulative in her ways, and it was this trait that Pluto gave her the position as a Genesis in the first place. Now he was having second thoughts about his decision.

A question had struck Kaiba's mind. "Whatever happened to that twin of yours?"

The Guardian pondered his response for a moment. "He's in hiding. Despite not having been chosen for a position with the Millennium Guardians, being anywhere near me would eventually influence him enough to join our side." Pluto paused. He directed his attention to the black floor before returning his gaze back at Kaiba. "Same reason Apollo hasn't shown himself. But... he'll sooner or later join us courtesy of the psychic link he has with Artemis."

"Why is it that you're telling me this? Weren't we enemies?" Kaiba had wondered this for some time.

"Mortal, you are such... Ah!" Pluto gasped, clutching his chest. His head was beginning to ache as the darkness was trying to regain control over him.

"What's wrong?" Kaiba yelled, approaching Pluto.

"My dark half... its breached my defences... Run, run!" Pluto screamed, falling to his knees in pain.

With his back turned, Kaiba puzzled over why Pluto was suddenly acting this way. He had thought it was a trick, but something inside him believed that it was the truth. He could almost sense the agony that was felt around him.

Kaiba couldn't let such a time like now be wasted. There needed to be a way out of this strange place, although it became apparent Pluto didn't want anyone to enter nor exit.

The CEO backed away as the mist thickened, consuming Pluto in the process. Kaiba turned to run. He didn't get very far before he was hit in the face by a fist. Falling backwards into the mist, he looked up to meet the eyes of his adopted father, Gozuburo Kaiba.

He smirked, brandishing a gun right in his face. "You were always such a failure, boy. You're a coward and a fool! It's time for you to join me in hell!"

Kaiba responded on instinct, kicking the gun out of Gozuburo's hand as it discharged. On his feet, he rounded on the older man with a kick to the stomach. He might not have been a fighter but he wasn't completely untrained, and Gozuburo was old and fat, the victim of too many cigars and whiskey, or so he thought. Finding his feet, Kaiba also discovered Gozuburo's fingers around his neck. He slammed his adopted son into the wall that had just appeared behind him.

Smirking, Gozuburo transformed back into Pluto, tightening his grip on Kaiba's neck. "You know what I enjoy the most about your end? To see how much mental torture you can take." He leaned closer towards him, speaking the last sentence into Kaiba's ear.

Kaiba made a desperate attempt to speak. "Monster…" He muttered.

"I do have one thing to say. Only one of us will escape from this realm." Pluto grinned manically and drew his sword. It strongly emanated a force that contained all the negative emotions Pluto had absorbed over the years. A faint red glow shone in Pluto's eyes but quickly faded.

Kaiba could feel the agonizing aura as he seized his chest. _This pain… No, he and I are not the same!_

"Quit denying it!" Without warning, Pluto lunged at him and missed. He had intentionally done so to awaken Kaiba from his thoughts. "Your life went downhill the moment you took charge of your destiny. If you hadn't challenged your stepfather, then there was no chance you'd have met Yugi and got yourself in this mess! It's all your fault!"

There was nothing Kaiba could do to protect himself. He had an enraged Guardian clamping down on his throat and he was unable to summon Thoth. All alone, what could he do?

* * *

Outside Kaiba's mind, only moments had passed since Kisara had returned to her battle when she heard the unmistakable sound of Kaiba being choked. She looked over to find Pluto's hands wrapped around Kaiba's neck. He was still in his trance but somehow he had forced his body to act.

Kisara attempted to move towards them but Obelisk blocked her. She frowned. "You will not stop me, Tomentor. I will save Seto. You will not stop me!"

The Soul Sphere hanging from her neck glowed, almost as if conveying an idea to Kisara. She tore the sphere from the twine around her neck and hurled it at Pluto. As it hit Pluto's arm, an explosion of white light consumed the area, overwhelming everything in its path.

A short time later Kaiba groaned back into consciousness, raising his hand slowly to his face. "You are awake." A voice commented.

Taking his hand away from his face, Kaiba met the eyes of Kisara. In a manner so unlike him, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Does that mean I'm free from wherever the hell I was?"

Kisara nodded. "Yes. You had been gone for a long while. I was starting to worry about you." She proceeded to brush aside the hair covering his eyes.

Slowly, Kaiba sat up, taking care to look over his body for any injuries. Once again the area was empty except for him, Kisara and Pluto lying on the ground unconscious. He turned to her. "What happened?"

"You were being strangled by Pluto, so I threw the Soul Sphere to save your life." Kisara explained.

Kaiba blinked, wondering how she came to that conclusion. "Why?"

Kisara also blinked, bewildered by her act. "I... do not know. It just felt like the correct course of action, as if I were being told to throw the Soul Sphere." She explained, cradling the said sphere in her hands.

Kaiba got up and slowly approached Pluto. The Guardian was breathing but remained unconscious. Kaiba could sense that somehow he was no longer the same as before. The evil that had been controlling Pluto had diminished significantly. Kaiba knew that even when Pluto regained consciousness, he wouldn't be a threat for some time.

"We can't leave him here." Kaiba announced, picking him up. He looked at Pluto's face. "I won't fail... I will protect the balance, I promise." He whispered, slinging Pluto over his shoulder. "I've had enough of this place, let's go Kisara..."

Kisara nodded as a vortex appeared somehow conjured by Kaiba's will. They stepped in and warped back to Earth.

Silence returned to the World of Darkness after Kaiba and Kisara left until the sound of crumbling earth was heard from within the crevice. Suddenly a hand appeared from within, a man pulled himself out of the crevice and rolled onto the solid ground with a vicious grin. "Free at last..."

* * *

Author's Notes: And that's it for this chapter. I used to give a summary of the next chapter, buuuuut I'm going to leave that out for the remainder of the fanfic. Hate to ruin what's to come. 8D


	30. Moon Light

Author's Notes: The next chapter will most definitely end this little five-world excursion the characters were put through. The translated lyrics featured in the beginning of this chapter are from the Rockman X6 (AKA Mega Man X6) opening.

* * *

Chapter 30: Moon Light

_Oh, Moon Light, illuminate my path! Illuminate for me the path I must take  
Oh, Moon Light, shine on me! Envelop me, who have lost the sun, with your light_

Showtaro Morikubo - Moon Light

A sour wind swept over the grass of Elysium, the spiritual realm of the Guardians, a portent of things to come Mai pondered. Dismissing the thought, Mai braced herself. On either side of her, Selene and Khepri were powering up for lack of better way to describe it. The energy around Khepri intensified, sending ripples of energy into the air.

_We must protect Khepri; if she perishes all might be lost. _Selene telepathically conveyed to Mai who nodded, her Harpies reared and began their attacks.

Orpheus and Nidoki launched themselves from the branches, cutting through the air with a speed that caught the three women off-guard. Diving to the ground, Mai just managed to dodge; however, her jacket was less lucky, torn almost in half by Nidoki's weapon.

A twisted smile appeared on the Guardian's face. "Oh good, I thought you were going to make this boring. Maybe once we are done I can send you back to Joey, in pieces!" Nidoki taunted as she stabbed at the ground moments before Mai had been occupying. "Do not run too far, my little blonde mortal, I have to tear you limb from limb and then rip your heart out and send it to Yugi." She spotted Mai sprinting away, trying to create some space in which her Harpies could attack.

Nidoki hung in the air for a moment before smirking wickedly and taking off after Mai. Her flying through the air with a single target in mind had left her blind to the danger from above. Suddenly she felt a sharp pain pierce her back, violently driving the Guardian into the ground. Rolling over, she discovered Mai's Harpies to be the source of the attack. Silently cursing her stupidity she failed to anticipate, the Harpies returned for a second attack. She raised her staff in the moment before the Harpie struck. It was able to absorb most of the impact but shattered under the weight of the Harpie, the jagged edge impaling itself in Nidoki's side.

Orpheus meanwhile was having to dodge spell after spell being cast by Khepri, cutting through them with his sword. He was inching closer to his target but his frustration was growing. Finally having enough, Orpheus shattered the spell sphere with a blast of energy and began plummeting headlong toward Khepri with murderous intent.

Moments before his blade could strike, he was cut off by Selene's fist connecting with his face. Orpheus was thrown sideways, bouncing along the ground before rolling to a stop near Nidoki who was gingerly extracting the jagged blade from her side.

"We appear to be losing, dear sister..." Orpheus growled.

"It would be easier if our dear brother had not suddenly decided to hang back and watch." Nidoki agreed, scowling. She briefly wondered where Forseti had meandered to.

On the other side the three women regrouped, Mai's Harpies hovering just overhead. Mai looked around, having lost track of Fiona in the chaos.

Selene noticed Mai searching and appeased her telepathically, _Don't fear, Fiona is undercover amongst the trees. She has no place in this fight. _

Mai nodded in agreement, turning her attention back to Orpheus and Nidoki. She could feel their anger peaking. Their blood lust was extreme and it emanated off them in waves. It was so intense that Mai could feel the ground underfoot vibrate from the stamping of the animals desperate to escape the death aura that permeated the area. The other thing that disturbed her at that moment was the sudden presence of mist around their feet; chillingly it reminded her of the mist she once saw so many years before during her Shadow Game with Dark Marik. Despite the years since they had any intimacy, Mai found herself suddenly wishing she could feel Nick's arms wrapped around her again, the warmth of another's love was very appealing right now.

Mai was roused from her thoughts by Selene shoving her aside as Nidoki came through blade first, striking Selene's shoulder. It cut deep into the Holy Guardian's shoulder as blood coated the grass behind her. Spun around by the force of the impact, Selene attempted to take advantage of it and sent a burst of energy in the general direction Nidoki had taken after hitting her. Despite Selene's best effort Nidoki was too fast and dodged the energy blast, which was fortunate, the energy blast had created a sizable dent in the previously smooth and level ground of the plain.

Nidoki grimaced, watching Selene from the air. The Guardian knew if the elder Guardian wanted to, she could easily banish Orpheus, Forseti and herself from existence, and Nidoki couldn't help but wonder why Selene hadn't tried yet. Then it stuck her, the two mortals, Khepri and Mai, Selene was protecting them, empowering them to fight and survive at the level of a Millennium Guardian temporarily. It finally fell into place for Nidoki. She smiled fiercely; they weren't losing, they were going to win and she would win favour with Apophis by delivering the head of Selene to him along with the body of Ra.

_Orpheus, target the mortals only, leave Selene alone. _

Orpheus looked up from his battle with Khepri to stare incuriously at his sister, _What does it look like I'm doing? _

_Not trying hard enough! Selene is lending the mortals her power, if we push them she will be forced to release more of her power to them until she is so weakened that I... we can kill her! _Nidoki responded impertinently.

Orpheus grinned viciously, increasing the strength of his attack which now freely unleashed energy waves at Khepri, who wasn't quite able to meet the speed of the Millennium Guardian. He was forcing her back at an increasing rate. "Come here, you damned mortal!" He yelled in a fit of rage, plunging through Khepri's attack with abandon to strike the young woman with the full force of his sword.

Khepri dodged the blade, but not quickly enough for it to rip into her side. She staggered sideways, her hand becoming soaked in her own blood from the abdominal wound Orpheus had just inflicted.

"You evil, wicked bastard, I'll get you for that! I… just need to get my breath back." Khepri blurted out, falling backwards into a tree.

Orpheus saw his opportunity to finish off his prey, taking off again. He started building up to full speed, piercing the air like a Guardian-shaped javelin with his sword formed as the point of his attack. Moving faster and faster, all Orpheus could think of was death. It consumed his thoughts so much he failed to register a fast-moving object racing perpendicular to him until it was too late to dodge Mai's Harpie who sent Orpheus crashing through a nearby tree instead of through Khepri.

As Khepri bled out over the tree, she smiled at the irony of the situation. "Killed by those whose secrets I was trusted to protect..." She cast a glance back to the figure that had appeared behind her. "Would you believe I saw this coming, Forseti?"

Forseti emerged from the shadows to loom over the mortal; his blade glinted in the moonlight illuminating his emotionless empty eyes. Grabbing Khepri by the hair, he forced her head back and exposing her neck. She looked him in the eyes, regarding him with sadness. "One day you will be free of the darkness that holds you. On that day I want you to know that I absolve you of the sin you're about to commit. Now act swiftly, I don't wish to suffer excessively."

Without a word, Forseti slashed at her neck in one smooth motion. The blood spurted from the wound and covered Forseti, Khepri and the ground around them.

Selene, who was doing her best to defend Mai, reeled, sensing the sudden loss of life force from Khepri's body. She cast her gaze towards the young woman. Despite her advanced age and vast life experience, she couldn't help but gasp as she watched the blood-stained Forseti hang over the dying body of Khepri. "Get away from her!" She screamed, dispatching him with ease. Selene rushed to the side of Khepri, Mai following behind. The blonde slowed as she took in the horror of what she was witnessing. "Mai, take Khepri and Fiona and run!" Selene ordered, standing up.

Mai blinked. "They won't let us leave, they're here to kill us!"

Selene shoved Mai towards Khepri, "Do as I say. I will deal with the Guardians, unless you want to die, you will do as I say!"

Mai recoiled, gathering Khepri's body in her arms and being joined by Fiona after a moment who stared at her friend. She was coldly numbed by the shock of her sudden death at the hands of Forseti.

Selene rose into the air, looking back at the three women. "When I say run, run!" With a wave of her hand, Selene summoned three energy waves which followed their mistress's command, striking the three Guardians to the ground. "Run now!"

Following the Holy Guardian's orders, Fiona and Mai took off. Khepri's head slouched against Mai's arm, exposing the deep gash that had killed her and spurting more crimson fluid from the wound. It soaked Mai's skin, corset and hair in the dying woman's blood.

Selene considered them sadly for a moment, knowing that this wouldn't be the last time in the Struggle that Mai would have a friend's blood covering her body. A beat later, her face hardened, turning her head back around to face down the three Millennium Guardians' presence. Selene glared, raising her arms into the air. "You have seen a fraction of my powers. Until now I did not want to risk harming the mortals, but your actions have made it clear that you have a total disregard for their lives. You will deal with the consequences of your actions. Stare into the face of death and pray to Ra the next life is kinder to you than this one has been."

As she spoke, an energy wave developed above her hands, pouring her own life energy into the wave. It grew in intensity and brightness until the light cut through the darkness and it appeared as if dawn was approaching. The three Guardians tried to move, but their fear was overriding their common sense. They knew there was nothing they could do; a Holy Guardian had decreed they were to die and all that was left for them was no escape from their demise.

As Mai and Fiona ran, the ground began shaking as they started to look back. They were hit by the full force of a shockwave that took them off their feet and swept them along the ground further and further away from the epicentre of the explosion. Mai was forced to wrap Khepri in her arms as she thought of all the friends and loved ones she would miss if this were her final moment amongst the living. Rolling to a stop, Mai squeezed her eyes shut as the blinding light of the explosion washed over them. The ground giving up another violent shudder and quaking under the pressure of the detonation. Mai felt her skin being cut into by tree branches and small pebbles as the wind rushed past them. The intense sound of the explosion threatened to deafen and knock her unconscious but Mai was able to fight off the urge to give in, opening her eyes to meet the lifeless orbs of Khepri, or better put the almost lifeless eyes of Khepri.

Holding onto life with the last of her strength, Khepri yanked the necklace from her neck and shoved it towards Mai. The blonde quickly got the message, even if she didn't understand it; Mai was however not going to refuse the wish of a dying woman. Taking the necklace, she wrapped it around her neck. The moment it was secured the ruby jewel at Mai's throat glowed intensely. Mai's head snapped back as a white light emerged from her eyes and now open mouth. Screaming in silence, Mai's brain was being overwhelmed with a sudden info dump of memories and prophecies of things that had happened and the things that were yet to come.

As quickly as the ruby had become illuminated it just as quickly faded as did the light emanating from Mai's eyes and mouth. Before Fiona could even ask if Mai was all right, she swayed slightly and collapsed into unconsciousness beside the now dead Khepri. Despite being murdered in the manner in which she had, Fiona noticed as she pulled Khepri's lifeless body away from Mai that Khepri had died with a small smile on her face. A smile of satisfaction Fiona guessed for fulfilling the mission she had been entrusted with since her birth.

Sometime later Mai awoke to find the sun rising over Elysium. Sitting up, she found herself on the edge of a wasteland that hours before had been the plain she had fought the Millennium Guardians on. "You're awake." A voice commented.

Casting her head back around, Mai met the eyes of the Holy Guardian Selene who sat on a log, warming herself by a small fire Fiona was tending. Mai nodded. "Are they dead?"

Selene shrugged. "That was the plan... Unfortunately lending my powers to you and Khepri left me weakened, I couldn't summon the full strength I needed to finish them. It is possible they are dead but as humans say, _don't bet on it_."

Mai shook her head, playing with the necklace unconsciously. "Is Khepri…?" She was almost too afraid to finish her question, already aware of her answer.

The Guardian closed her eyes, mentally trying to forget the image of the deceased sorceress. "Yes, she survived long enough to perform her last duty, though, she gave you the necklace," She gestured her finger towards the object around Mai's neck. "You are now the one whose destiny is protect the prophecies of the Guardians. I wondered what role you would play in the future of my race since the night on the boat to Duellist Kingdom where you first met Yugi. Yours has been the only destiny I could not place. Everyone else with a connection to Egypt had destinies set in stone from the moment they stepped on the boat. Until this moment your future has always been in flux that is no longer." Selene stood, kneeling beside Mai and took the necklace in her hand. "This necklace has forever bound you to Ra and those who are and will become his inner sanctum."

Mai smiled, fingering the necklace as she processed Selene's words. She had considered Yugi and his friends the nearest thing to family she had left. Now it was official, despite the death and destruction going on around them, this left her with a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Fiona overheard their conversation, glowering in Selene's direction. She began remembering the time when Kisara mentioned that she, along with her brethren not part of the royal family, were rumored to be incarnations of the Galactic Dragon. It was at that point, the Guardian started to question her own existence; just how were they created? Brushing such thoughts from her mind, Fiona approached her two companions.

Selene raised her eyes toward her fellow Guardian. "What will you do now?"

"I… will remain here," Fiona directed her attention at the small burial they made for Khepri. Tears started falling as she confronted Selene face-to-face. "How could I let this happen? Standing by the sidelines while you three battled it out with the Millennium Guardians. I was nothing more than a coward! I'm pathetic!"

"No," Selene grasped Fiona's hand, trying to comfort her as best she could. "As I said to Mai earlier, you were not needed in the fight. Fate decreed that Khepri had outlived her purpose, and anything you did to protect her, would only result in failure."

The Titan Guardian calmed herself before hysteria overtook her. "It's always Fate, isn't it?" she muttered. "Even a Holy Guardian such as yourself would fear _her_…"

Getting to her feet, Mai cast her eyes back over the wasteland and frowning at the destruction Selene's attempt to protect them had wrought. Mai sighed and looked back over at Selene. "We've done all we can here, I think it's time we got back to the others."

Hours later a lone Guardian emerged from the darkness to look over the wasteland that had been the once vibrant plain. He smiled at the destruction Selene had brought to Elysium as it reminded him of what he would eventually do to his home world, Animus. Shaking his head, he walked amongst the carnage and stopped short a few moments later. "My brothers and sister brought low by a dead woman, pathetic."

The sand began moving as Orpheus, Nidoki and Forseti pulled themselves free of the shallow graves Selene had forced them into during the explosion. Nidoki glared at her brother, shaking the dirt loose from her clothing. "Oh, and I suppose you can claim to have done better, Yukai?"

Yukai, or much rather Erebus smirked, his siblings noticing the change in his appearance and deduced this was no longer the Yukai they used to know. He showed them the blood stains on his sword. "The blood of Nicholas King." The three Guardians paused in mild shock, despite being a mortal they still considered him to be a threat to their plans. Removing him from the equation had been a goal of theirs since the first attack back in Domino. Erebus sheathed his blade and finished, "One of them at least."

Orpheus blinked. "How many of him are there exactly?" He recalled meeting the one revived by Artemis six years ago, but realized the Nick Erebus referred to was not from Earth and looked different in appearance.

Erebus laughed. "Just the one on Earth now. This one was the revived form of Shadow Phoenix and he died at my hand defending Joey. My point is, I seem to have made more progress on my own than the three of you did together."

Orpheus, Nidoki and Forseti glared at their younger brother who remained completely unfazed by their stares. "We have much work to do, Pluto hasn't responded to my summons and Artemis is still busy with Ra. While the mortals are still occupied we must make our move."

The three Guardians begrudgingly agreed with their brother and followed him into the shadows. Casting one final look back over the wasteland, Erebus smiled. _Soon,_ he thought, _all of the five worlds will look like this. _

It was only a matter of time before all five worlds and the many beyond them would burn, and he would be the one to deliver the purifying fires of hell to those who would threaten the revival of the only true Guardian, Apophis.


	31. It's The Fear

Author's Notes: And yes, finally the conclusion to the five worlds mini-arc. But most definitely not the end of the story, oh no, there's still plenty we have yet to cover. We barely scratched the surface. ;D

* * *

Chapter 31: It's The Fear

_I fear who I am becoming  
I feel that I'm losing all beauty within_  
_I can no longer restrain it_  
_My strength, it is fading_  
_I have to give in_

Within Temptation - It's The Fear_  
_

Artemis laughed, watching the shocked expressions on the faces of Yugi, his friends and his Guardian allies as Uranus appeared beside her. His eyes were blank canvases that she was painting her will onto. The Guardians knew all too well of her ability to take control of weak minds, a trait she and her twin, Apollo had inherited from their father, but she rarely used it. At least back when she was still sane. Despite Guardians having built up a strong defense in their minds, Uranus was easy pickings thanks to the stress he was put under during the current turmoil.

Artemis grinned viciously. "Uranus, finish them off!"

Uranus smirked as a low growl passed his lips. Raising himself off the ground, he launched himself at Yugi; his blade primed and ready for Ra's blood. Yugi could hear Serenity shouting for him to move, but looking at his feet he realized why he couldn't, Uranus had frozen his feet to the ground. He was unable to move out of the way, and Uranus was bearing down on him. Crouching a little, Yugi was prepared to die. He could see that Set and Ma'at were being kept busy by Sekhmet, and Nick was occupied by Téa. There was no one left to protect him, he was alone and about to die. Yet he felt strangely calm about this development.

But almost as Uranus was on top of him, someone else entered the fray, matching Uranus's speed. Saturn grabbed him by the collar and grinned as the two Guardians struggled to free each other. Their speed continued to increase. Saturn kicked himself free of Uranus, who had become so focused on Saturn, he didn't realize until it was too late that he gone too high and fast to avoid smashing face first into the piece of wall above the entrance to the courtyard. His momentum was so great, his body swung forward like a pendulum and carried his body into a flip, striking the ground with such force Yugi was able to feel it several metres away. Meanwhile Saturn had avoided his brother's fate but not for long as he struck the solid wooden door full force, smashing through it and straight to Gaia. Both Guardians, with the door sandwiched between them, collided onto the wall behind them, collapsing into an unconscious heap.

Without Uranus's power to summon the cold, the temperature in the courtyard quickly returned to normal. The ice that was holding Yugi in place also melted quickly.

Yugi smiled in embarrassment as Artemis rubbed her temples. "Once again, my family lives to embarrass me in front of guests. I swear I'm never bringing anyone home to meet them." Resuming her normal stance, Artemis cast a look over the battlefield, aside from the Neo Guardians, Yugi and Jupiter were the only Guardians conscious.

Serenity hung back nervously worried about the outcome. Artemis cast an interested glance over to the battle between Téa and Nick; Téa, because of her influence, was more than ready to kill Nick. Artemis could feel the real Téa deep within the mortal's mind struggling in vain to be released from the prison Artemis had built for her.

Within her own mind, though, she could feel the other personalities that dwelled in her body fighting to be heard. The real Artemis was struggling to get free and help her friends. The other which was the human avatar she chose to possess, Lina, was trying to stop Artemis as well but for her own reasons. She was also feeding the hate that Artemis was drawing on to make herself strong, it was a self-defeating cycle of hate for the mortal. She hated the fake Artemis and what she was making the real persona do, but her hate for one of Yugi's friends and what Lina viewed as what had been stolen from her was driving the game forward and Lina could not find a way to save herself or the people she loved.

Nick growled in time with his monster, staring down the love of his life Téa Gardner. He didn't want to hurt her, he'd been struggling against the idea since Artemis seduced her into the darkness. But now standing opposite her in a battle situation, he was fast running out of ideas and options which didn't involve risking Téa's life or possibly killing her. With one option left he decided to try it. "Téa, I know you're in there..."

Téa laughed. "I'm right here, Nick, can't you see? I'm right here, waiting to kill you!"

"Shut up! I'm not talking to you, I'm talking to the real Téa, the one I love and who loves me. The one who knows I'd never abandon her. I love you, Téa, I'm going to save you, I promise. I'm never going to give up on you because I know you never gave up on me. You have to fight though, fight as hard as you can, fight with all your strength, my love. I know you can do it, you're the strongest person I know. If anyone can break this bitch's hold over you, it's you."

Téa screwed her nose up at Nick's proclamation. "How dare you call me that! I thought you loved me and you're calling me by disgusting names. How dare you, how dare you say you'd never abandon me... They abandoned me to you!" Téa yelled, pointing an accusing finger over to Yugi and Serenity. "They let me go with you to a land I barely knew with a man who always ran from his responsibilities. Why did they make me do that, why did you all conspire to ruin my life!"

Yugi scowled. "Téa, you wanted to go with him, you loved... you love him. You have to remember that. You went because you wanted to be with him forever, because you were both denied three thousand years ago by Atem's jealousy."

Téa's eyes widened. "Is that why we're together, because of something that happened three thousand years ago? How long am I supposed to beholden to other people's destiny? How long until I can live _my_ life away from this weak cowardly bastard? Tell me, Yugi, how long?"

The duelist stood mute, casting a side glance to Nick, if Téa's rant had further damaged his emotional stability it wasn't showing. His face had become unreadable, or more accurately, a brick wall behind which all his emotions were being held behind. He turned his attention back to Téa. "You've never been beholden to destiny, Téa, you chose your path with open eyes. The real Téa knows that but this artifice Artemis has created believes whatever the puppet master decides is the truth, right, Artemis!"

Artemis chuckled, giving him some mock applause. "Very good, Yugi. Of all the things I could say about you, being slow on the uptake isn't one of them. Now, enough with this distraction it's time for you to suffer and die!" She decreed, pointing her staff at him.

Yugi resumed his battle stance; Set returning to his side. "I will save you Artemis, I promise."

Téa smiled. "Ready to die?"

Nick exhaled. "We've been here before, remember? During the Dark Crisis, except our roles were reversed, you were saving me..."

"Shut up, I don't want to remember that! Cosmo Queen, kill him!" Téa shouted.

"Invader of Darkness, defend me!" Nick yelled.

The two monsters collided, their advanced strength creating waves of energy that sent cracks through the ancient stone work of the Dragon Palace. They broke off, neither monster having the advantage to deal the death blow to the other. Smoke rose from the ground above where they had fought, their combined strength impressing those that weren't engaged in battle.

Nick smiled. "A stalemate, looks like you won't get to kill me today."

Téa grinned. "That's what you think."

Sekhmet and Artemis launched themselves at Yugi who was forced to scramble back before either could land a blow. Ma'at caught hold of Sekhmet, throwing the Chaos beast into the wall of the courtyard as Set dodged and parried Artemis's attacks. Artemis growled, attempting a jab in Yugi's direction which was swiftly blocked by Set.

_"You will fail in your mission to harm Ra, Artemis. It is your destiny to fail."_ Set said.

"Shut up and go back to being dead!" Artemis yelled, launching herself towards Yugi and catching everyone off-guard. She made it through their defences and reached him as Sekhmet reared, driving both Ma'at and Set into the opposite wall.

Serenity screamed as Artemis descended upon Yugi, wrapping her hands around his throat while laughing manically. "I've got you! Finally I'm going to kill Ra!"

Serenity stood still, unable to move and attempt to help Yugi. Her entire body shook as fear overrode her thought process. She felt utterly useless to him with no special powers of her own. But she managed to yell at the top of her lungs, "Nick, she's going to kill him!"

This caught Nick's attention. He swore at himself. "Invader of Darkness, stop her now!"

Artemis cackled, increasing her grip on Yugi's throat. She shrugged off the attacks of her former best friend and Titan Guardian, Jupiter. "You're not going to stop me now, none of you are. I'm going to kill Yugi and bring about the end of time. The Eternal Darkness will extend itself over the five worlds and... hulp!"

She was interrupted in her task by Nick's Invader of Darkness crash-tackling her into a wall running parallel to the courtyard. Yugi was dragged along for the first few feet but Artemis was forced to release her grip on him, allowing him to bounce along the ground and roll to a stop in front of Serenity, who quickly gathered him in her arms.

Téa grinned manically at this development; Artemis might not have gotten her wish and killed Yugi but Téa was about to get hers. "Cosmo Queen, kill Nick now!"

"What, AH!" Nick started before he was struck by the full force of Cosmo Queen's attack; it threw him back into the ground, flipping him over onto his stomach as he slid along the stone floor coming to rest several metres from where he started.

The brunette cackled, approaching Nick and arrogantly standing over his defenceless body. She smirked. "Poor, pathetic Nick, you're not even strong enough to defeat me. You should thank me for putting you out of your misery." Téa stated, pulling Nick's sword from its sheath.

As she stood back finding her balance with such a heavy sword, Nick pulled himself up to a kneeling position, blood running from the corner of his mouth and spitting it out. He returned his gaze to Téa. "Well, go on..."

Téa shook with anger. "Don't look at me..."

"Why not? Doesn't the condemned man have a right to look upon the face of the woman he loves one last time?"

"Stop saying that! You don't love me, and I don't want your love. I don't want to be loved by a loser!" Téa yelled, swaying slightly as she continued to hold the blade in her hands.

"Too bad, I love you anyway." Nick spat defiantly.

"Don't say that. Don't look at me, just die!" Téa shrieked, driving the blade back and then thrusting it forward.

Nick closed his eyes awaiting death, but after several seconds it still hadn't come. He had experienced death before; he'd been run over by a car after saving Téa and Yugi's life six years ago. He knew the feeling he had experienced but even after thirty seconds there was no pain, his life force had yet to slip from his grasp. Slowly opening one eye, he looked around to find the point of his sword shivering only millimetres from his chest. Téa seemed to have been halted by an invisible force that was preventing her from completing the job.

Suddenly Nick realized what that force was. "Téa..."

Téa nodded, shaking furiously trying to hold onto control of her own body. "Nick, I can't... I can't hold on. She's so strong... The hate is so strong, I can't fight it..." Nick tried to move closer but the blade rose with his movements. "Keep away from me!" The other Téa yelled, attempting to force herself back into control.

"Fight it, Téa, I know you can beat her. You have the strength to beat it, do it!"

Artemis pulled herself from the rubble of the wall she and Invader of Darkness had collided with and swore under her breath at the situation she found herself in. "Yukai! Take control of Téa, she's slipping. We can't let that girl regain control, we still need her!"

"I can beat... No!" Téa screamed as Yukai forced his way into her mind, shutting the real Téa back in her cage and allowing the artifice to regain full control. "Die!"

At the same moment Téa struck with Nick's sword, a white glow engulfed the area. A moment later the light faded and Nick's sword lay shattered on the ground, only the hilt remaining intact. Standing before Nick, blocking him from Téa's view was Nick's Neo Guardian, Bastet, the Guardian Servant of Isis. Téa recoiled from the light that Bastet was emitting.

_"You will not harm the man you love, mortal, your fear is unfounded. You are bonded together not by destiny but by choice. When the time comes, he will save you from the darkness, I fear though that the price of saving you will be so high, you may come to regret paying it."_

Téa backed away towards Artemis as the three Neo Guardians gathered above their respective owners. "What do we do now?" She asked incuriously.

Artemis scowled, noticing the predicament they were now in. "Exercise the better part of valour and withdraw, but a parting shot to your new love, Ra!" She responded softly. From her sleeve Artemis produced a dagger which she threw expertly at Serenity. She realized just in time Yugi was able to spin them around, the dagger sticking in his back as he cried out in pain.

"Yugi!" Serenity yelled as she saw the blade protruding from his back. The four of them were too busy to notice Téa and Artemis had slipped away into the darkness, leaving the humans and Guardians to clean up the mess.

Nick knelt beside Yugi, peering at the wound and carefully cutting away the jacket and shirt from around the blade with a knife he had pulled from his jacket. He ignored his shattered sword for the moment. Yugi groaned in pain, holding tightly to Serenity's hands.

"Is he...?" Serenity asked fearfully.

Nick shook his head. "No, he'll be fine. I think he'll be in worse pain when he realizes I've just cut up his favourite jacket. He's lucky though, a few centimetres to the right it would have hit his spine. It's lucky Artemis's a lousy shot."

Jupiter came closer to inspect the damage. She overheard what Nick said and shook her head. "I don't think so." Everyone except Yugi looked up at her. "Artemis is an expert archer - if she missed, it was deliberate."

Nick considered this information as Uranus, Saturn and Gaia roused themselves from unconsciousness. "Maybe if Téa was able to exert control over her body and override the artifice, then Artemis is able to do the same."

Serenity nodded. "We can hope at least."

Uranus walked up to them, rubbing his head and wondering how come it ached him so much. Somehow he was unaware of Artemis having taken control of his mind briefly. He noted something different about his surroundings. "Mortals, what have you done to the Dragon Palace?"

Nick feigned a smile. "Well the boys from How Not to Decorate came by when you were unconscious and were absolutely horrified by the styling in the castle, and we've decided to do an Animus edition. We're right in the middle of turning the courtyard into the main dining room slash gazebo."

The Guardian blinked and turned his back. "I hate dealing with modern day mortals..."

* * *

Author's Notes: The bit about the two other personalities inside Artemis, we'll get into much later. For now I won't reveal the reason.


	32. The Darkest Nights are Spent Alone

Chapter 32: The Darkest Nights are Spent Alone

Koji stood on the rooftop balcony of the Guardians' Earth home, looking out over the canopy of trees. He leaned his elbow against the railing, thinking to himself about how the Guardians picked a secluded spot to house themselves while away from Animus. Their current location wasn't that far from public places, such as stores, and they didn't even have neighbors as their home was the only property around. Jupiter hired the best lawyers her money could afford to nag the government officials into not tearing down the old house, stating the property she owned was historical due to the old Victorian styling.

Koji sighed as he was joined on the roof by Ryou, Bakura, Kiki and Mokuba. Taking one look at Kiki, he rolled his eyes at the deceiving cuteness she was pulling on Mokuba. Poor kid didn't know what he was getting into by becoming enamored with her.

Mokuba ran to the edge of the balcony to stare out the beautiful view. "Wow, New York is so cool!"

Kiki giggled a little, standing beside him. "Mokie, you've been here before."

"Yeah, but it's still cool. It has one of my favourite cities in the world."

"Oh? Why's that?"

Feeling himself blush intensely, Mokuba had trouble formulating words. "W-well, b-because it has some of my f-f-favourite people in it." He admitted, running off the roof, his face completely crimson.

"Mokuba! Wait for me!" Kiki shouted, chasing after him.

Ryou, who had been holding in a laugh, fell back onto the bench. A smile appeared on his face, feeling content he had stayed behind to enjoy the antics of the two teenagers.

Behind him, Bakura looked at him incuriously. "What are you laughing about?"

Ryou shook his head. "They're just very sweet together, reminds me of Yugi and Téa from a long time ago."

The former tomb robber rolled his eyes. "Yeah and look how that turned out." Ryou looked away angrily and Bakura sighed. "Sorry."

Koji rubbed his temples before folding his arms again. "Was there a reason you came up here?"

Bakura returned his gaze to Koji. He nearly attempted to make a threat to him but held back. Admittedly Ryou's good manners were rubbing off on him, to the point he restrained his once murderous attitude he had in his previous life.

"We were wondering if you'd have news of our friends? Well, Ryou's friends," Bakura said.

Peering over the balcony railing, Koji frowned. "Why don't you ask them yourself?"

Sprinting downstairs, Ryou, Bakura and Koji arrived just as Sephora and Joey emerged from the warp tunnel. Mokuba and Kiki followed soon after to see the commotion. They stood back in shock as they realized Joey was carrying a body over his shoulder.

Mokuba blinked. "Joey, who is that?"

Joey glanced back at the body whose head bouncing limply off his back. He looked back and regarded the teen, knowing the truth that draped over his shoulder was the man who once murdered him and would only serve to hurt decided to avoid the question. "It's complicated, kid."

Sephora touched Joey by the shoulder, getting his attention. "One of the outer buildings is an infirmary, you can put the body there for now."

Joey nodded and followed Sephora towards the house as the others trailed behind, staring confused at the dead blond. Ryou ran up beside Joey and matched his pace, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Joey, who is he?"

"I'll tell you more when we're in the infirmary. Any news of the others?"

"No, you're the first one to arrive back, and I've got a bad feeling you won't be the only one with casualties."

Sephora stopped outside the infirmary and waited for Ryou, Bakura and Joey to enter before she held her hand out. "Koji, take the children into the house and keep them there."

Koji scowled. "I'm not some damn babysitter!"

"Do it, Koji!" Sephora barked.

Koji recoiled and nodded. "Yes, Sephora." He replied meekly, shooing Kiki and Mokuba away from the infirmary.

Once she was sure they were gone, Sephora closed the door and joined the others at one of the examination tables where Joey had just laid Nick out. Sephora winced at the massive sword wound that was still stained in blood on his chest.

Ryou looking paler than usual met Joey's eye level. "So, who is he?"

"Shadow Phoenix." Bakura guessed before either Joey or Sephora could speak.

"Shadow Phoenix?" Ryou exclaimed, stepping back from the body.

An abundance of horrific memories swelled in his mind of Shadow Phoenix's blood-soaked reign, not the least of which was the times, when he killed Tristan and directed a Millennium Rod-controlled Yugi to kill Téa, or so he'd been told. During Yugi and his friends' first adventure with the Guardians, Ryou hadn't joined them until quite late into the journey when they descended into the Underworld to face Pluto. He had been taken hostage because he had been the holder of the Millennium Ring up until that point. Though on balance, the fact that Shadow Phoenix had been revived at the same time did lead to Nick being revived by Artemis.

Bakura cocked his head to one side. "Correct me if I'm wrong, mortals, but..."

"I am _not_ a mortal, spirit..." Sephora protested angrily.

Bakura stared at her evenly before continuing, "Whatever. The last time we saw Shadow Phoenix, he had black hair, black eyeballs and crimson irises. He looks nothing like that now."

Ryou gingerly approached Shadow Phoenix and pulled back his eyelid, the eyeball was normal white and the iris was a deep shade of azure; a colour Ryou admired in Téa's eyes. Closing the eye, he returned his attention to the conversation at hand.

"I've never known him to have eye or hair colouring other than what you see here. I've only ever known him as Nick King. He's been in the Pokémon world for years training Pokémon, collecting badges and travelling with Yukai. When Yukai went missing..." Sephora had a faraway look in her eyes for a moment before clearing her throat. "When Yukai went missing, Nick continued journeying with our friends Brock and May who reminds me a little of Téa, which would explain a lot. He just appeared one day like he'd just fallen out of the sky, found by a baby Bulbasaur that became his first Pokémon..."

"A baby Bulba-what?" Joey asked, casting confused looks over to Ryou who returned the look equally puzzled.

Sephora rubbed her temples. "It doesn't matter! The point is, we never knew. We couldn't have known until Nick started having nightmares a year or so ago. Yukai must have been causing them; he must have realized and was trying to turn Nick back into Shadow Phoenix. It didn't work obviously."

"No, it didn't..." Joey responded, looking down regretfully at the body. "Yukai murdered him for blocking his chance to kill me. He just stood there, refusing to budge even when staring death in the face."

"Well, it's definitely Nick then." Ryou joked dryly.

Without another word, Joey walked away, still visibly disturbed by the events in the Pokémon world. Opening the door of the infirmary, he looked back towards Sephora, "Hey, is the warp tunnel still meant to be open?"

Sephora's head snapped around sharply. "No, it shouldn't be!"

The four of them ran outside as Jupiter, Serenity, Nick and Yugi emerged. Only Saturn remained on Animus, having to clean up with Gaia by Uranus's orders due to their part in damaging the palace. Nick cradled Yugi in his arms; the dagger still embedded in Yugi's back.

Sephora's eyes widened turning back to the house. "Venus, get your butt out here! We need you now!"

Joey ran at speed up to Nick, torn between terror at Yugi's condition and fury at Nick for letting it happen. Regardless of the actual facts Joey knew Nick had to be responsible. "What the hell happened over there?" He demanded.

Nick scowled, noticing that Sephora was beckoning them over to the infirmary. "We lost, Joey, happy? We failed miserably. Artemis and Téa kicked our arses and they hurt Yugi. They were aiming for your sister but Yugi got in the way, happy?"

Nick made his way around Joey who was left in stunned silence, having had the wind taken out of his sails by Nick's rant. The eight of them were met at the door to the infirmary by Venus who at first looked annoyed by the demanding way Sephora had summoned her until she realized it was for a very good reason.

A half hour past in which Serenity, Jupiter and Nick explained how the battle had transpired as they waited for news on Yugi's condition from Venus. As the stories and questions from both sides finished, Venus emerged, pulling off her bloodied gloves and throwing them into the contaminated waste bin. "Nick's initial assessment was correct, no major organs were hit and nothing else vital was damaged by the blade. I guess Artemis must be in there somewhere."

Joey smiled a little. "That's the first good news we've had all day. When will Yugi be back up and around?"

Venus shrugged. "A day or so, his Guardian abilities haven't completely kicked in yet and the blade, despite not hitting anything, still went quite deep so it will still take some time to knit back together. As long as he gets rest he'll be fine by the end of tomorrow."

It was during this exchange that Bakura finally put his finger on what was different with Nick. "Mortal, your sword is missing?"

Joey blinked, kicking himself for not noticing. "Hey yeah, you always have that thing on."

Nick looked away. "Téa... well no, Bastet, because of Téa's actions, had to destroy the sword. When I ordered Invader of Darkness to save Yugi it left me open to an attack by Téa's Cosmo Queen. She grabbed my sword but... but..."

"But before she could kill Nick, the real Téa emerged for a moment and battled for control. Our Téa lost." Serenity finished sadly.

Nick shook his head. "No... The game was rigged."

Ryou blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Someone, Artemis maybe, I don't know who but someone rigged the outcome. They forced their will on Téa and allowed the artifice to regain control. Téa would have never let that thing win if it was a fair fight; she's too strong and smart for that."

Joey nodded. "Nick's right, giving in and letting someone else win because the fight's going to be tough, that's not the Téa I know."

"Yukai," Sephora added. "He must have been there watching the end of the battle. Our battle with him was over by then. He must have intervened using the Millennium Rod and overrode Téa's control."

"Makes sense..." Nick whispered.

Serenity placed a hand on his arm. "We'll get her back." Nick didn't respond, he just looked away holding in his real emotions.

Joey considered Nick for a moment. "Hey, Téa wouldn't give up. Don't start doing it yourself."

"I'm not... I'm, it's just been a long day, Joey. Why do you care anyway?"

"I don't, I'm doing this for Téa's benefit. She deserves way better than you."

Nick snorted in derision, walking towards the door. "You may be right there... I was probably better off dead." He replied, heading out of the room.

"Joey!" His sister scolded him.

"Hey, I didn't mean it like that!" Joey defended, raising his hands. "How was I supposed to know he'd take it like that? The guy's a jerk anyway. I don't know what Téa sees in him or what Yugi considers as his qualities as a friend."

Serenity shook her head. "If you haven't figured it out by now, you never will." Serenity replied, walking out and then followed by Ryou, Bakura and Sephora. Venus rolled her eyes and returned to her patient.

Nick was approaching the door to the house and yet another warp tunnel opened in the back yard. Turning around, he shook his head. "It's turning into the Grand-bloody-Central around here." He muttered, walking down to greet whoever was returning with Serenity, Ryou and Sephora who joined him outside.

As Joey emerged from the infirmary, Selene and Mai stepped through the warp tunnel into the yard. Serenity and Sephora gasped at the amount of blood that covered Mai's corset and skin. Nick rushed to her side, looking both disturbed and concerned. "Mai, are you ok? Whose blood is that?"

"It's... I mean... Nick!" Mai stuttered, burying her head in Nick's shirt and finally releasing the emotions that had been consuming her since waking up on Elysium.

Nick cast a bewildered look towards Selene while cradling a sobbing Mai in his arms. Selene touched Nick's shoulder weakly. "It was a difficult experience for her. I'm sorry, I would explain but I am quite in need of rest."

Selene staggered slightly but Sephora and Ryou were there to hold her up and support her back into the house. Nick kept a hold of Mai, leading her slowly into the house as she continued to weep.

Joey watched from the doorstep of the infirmary. It wasn't until he felt the pain of his fingernails cutting into his palm of his hand that he realized his fist was clenched. He stared at his hands, curious that it had acted on its own. Joey tried to dismiss this development, but the words Yukai had spoken to him on the Pokémon world continued to resonate inside his head. Before he had time to think further on what Yukai had said, a fourth and final warp tunnel opened with Kisara and Kaiba emerging back onto Earth; the latter carrying a body over his shoulder as Joey had done earlier with Shadow Phoenix.

Joey stopped just short of the two regarding the body over Kaiba's shoulder. "Who's that?"

Kaiba shifted the weight on his shoulder. "Pluto."

The blond's eyes widened upon hearing the name. It was bad enough hearing his best friend was hurt, but to discover his former rival had brought back an unwelcome guest had put him on edge. "Are you nuts? Why the hell did you bring him back here for?"

"Open your eyes, mutt! Look at him, _really _look!"

Joey stopped and looked again at Pluto. Something was different, something wasn't the same as it was before. "He feels... less evil, like, something got knocked out of him."

Kaiba nodded. "That's exactly what I felt, hence my decision to bring him back here."

"Fine, we should probably take him to the infirmary and get Venus to check him over."

The three silently crossed the yard to the infirmary where inside Venus almost fell over with shock at Pluto being brought. She directed them to an examination table in the very back of the infirmary. Laying Pluto on it, Venus pressed a button on the underside of the table which activated restraints around Pluto's hands and feet.

Immediately Kaiba rounded on her. "What's the meaning of this?"

Venus stared him down sternly. "We don't know for sure if this is the Pluto we know or if he's still on Apophis's side. I'm not going to let Kiki or your little brother be murdered in this house because of your bad judgment call, are you?"

Kaiba opened his mouth to argue but realized he couldn't. Venus made an excellent point despite the fact Kaiba didn't want to admit it. He closed his mouth and nodded, looking back at the other occupied bays. "Yugi and..."

"Shadow Phoenix, it's a long story, Kaiba. I'll tell you later." Joey explained. "Right now I just... I just want to be alone."

Inside the house Mai had finally stopped crying and had just finished a shower when there was a knock on the bedroom door. "It's ok, hon. I'm decent." She replied.

Nick opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind him. "How did you know it was me?"

Mai pulled her jacket over her shoulders and grabbing her hair out to shake it loose. "Well, Kaiba wouldn't be knocking on my door; I don't think the female Guardians would bother, Mokuba would be too embarrassed and Joey would just walk in hoping to see me naked. You were always polite about that, even when we were sleeping together."

Nick smiled faintly. "That was a long time ago."

Mai's eyebrow twitched. "Not that long, thank you."

"Nine years, we stopped sleeping together nine years ago and met again seven years ago with Yugi and the others on Duellist Kingdom." Nick reminded her.

"Damn you and your freak-like memory." Mai cursed him playfully. "Was there something you wanted or were you just here to ogle me?"'

"I was just going to go into Manhattan and grab a change of clothes and a few other bits and pieces at the penthouse. I was wondering if you were going to be ok."

Mai smiled, walking over to him and kissing him on the forehead. "I'll be ok, Nick, I'm a big girl remember."

Nick nodded. "Well, anyway, I just wanted to check. I'll be back in a few hours if anyone asks." He explained, reaching for the door.

As he did though, Mai grabbed his arm. "Nick, did you want me to come with you?"

Nick blinked. "Uh, why?"

Mai regarded him seriously. "Honey, Yugi told me what happened the last time you were left to your own devices. I'd like to avoid another Shadow Phoenix appearing or another suicide attempt. We have enough problems at the moment."

Nick smiled, patting her hand. "I'll be ok. I wasn't myself back then, I'd just come out of the Shadow Realm, you remember what that's like?"

Mai shuddered. "I'd much rather not."

Nick placed a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry, I didn't mean to stir bad memories."

Mai shook her head. "It's fine. It's something we both experienced and have to live with. I'm just glad I've been able to put it behind me. Now are you going to be ok?"

"I'll be fine, promise." He replied, leaving the room.

Mai frowned. She wasn't sure what it was but something about Nick's body language made her worry.

It was approaching nine at night by the time Nick got into his Manhattan Penthouse. Well, it was his by the fact that his family owned it. It was his to use while he was in New York, which he had during Téa's time at Julliard when he wasn't away on business or when they were back in Adelaide during semester breaks. Walking through the entry way past the kitchen, he stopped for a moment in the neatly kept family/dining room, looking out the floor to ceiling windows that showed off the New York skyline. Heading over to the wall, he pressed a button that turned the windows opaque before retiring for a shower.

Emerging from the bedroom thirty minutes later he felt refreshed, having tossed his old outfit into the wash. He considered his new look in the window, he had kept the black leather jacket but exchanged his old one for a lighter version. He had also changed from black into blue jeans with a black belt and a button-up white shirt which he'd left untucked.

Moving away from the windows, he considered the items on the dining table: a Mateba Auto revolver and a sword. He picked the sword off the table and turned it over in his hands. Pulling the blade from its sheath, he read the words inscribed near the hilt: "For those times when words aren't enough – From Your Love Téa". He remembered when she had given it to him, it was a genuine surprise and an expensive one. The blade was a combination of titanium and diamond filament, something developed for the space program. Nick still had no idea how she had managed to convince whoever made it to let her use the compounds to make the blade, but he was glad she had.

Nick frowned, placing the sword back on the table. In a single movement he snatched the gun off the table and had spun around, pointing the gun at the intruder. "Pointing guns at defenceless pregnant women? My, my, Nick, you continue to disappoint me."

Nick breathed deeply, continuing to aim the gun at her head. "Don't try bullshit mind games on me, Téa. You know they're not going to work."

Téa laughed. "Oh really, I'm not so sure."

"What do you want?" Nick asked angrily.

"You think you still have a chance, don't you?" Téa asked. The music Nick had on in the background changed as the song had ended, as if a machine could understand irony the next song on the random play list was _Evie Part 2 by the Wrights_. Nick tightened his grip on the gun as Téa smiled sweetly. "Aww, it's our song. Weren't we going to dance to this at our wedding?"

Nick shook with anger. "Shut up..."

Téa moved closer, passed the gun. "We were, weren't we? We were going to dance to this, our first dance as a married couple. Everyone was going to be there, all our friends and family. You must be so disappointed."

"Shut up... Don't do this, Téa... please..." Nick pleaded, trying to hold himself together.

"Why not, Nick? Don't you want me to be this close to you? To touch your face and tell you I love you, don't you want those things? Tell me to my face you don't want that." Téa whispered, now barely inches away from him.

Nick was intoxicated by her perfume and her eyes. "I want that, Téa... I want you back. I want to know you love me. I want you to tell me. I want to hold you in my arms." Nick responded, on the verge of tears.

Téa smiled. "I know you want that, but... I don't." She slapped him so hard he fell sideways into a nearby chair, the gun clattering to the ground. Téa looked down at him with disgust. "How could I ever do that with you? A coward and loser like you; it disgusts me to think I'm carrying your child. What a disgusting whore I had to be to let you touch me, even worse to let you inside me. You could never be good enough for me. You pathetic bastard, why don't you just die!"

Téa picked up the gun and pointed it at his head. Tears ran down his face as he looked at the only woman he had ever loved. He stared until he couldn't bear it any longer and looked away. "Do it, Téa. If I don't have you and our child... I don't have anything left to live for. J-just get it over with."

As Téa stood over him, the gun pressed against his forehead, the music changed again this time to Jeff Buckley's rendition of Hallelujah. Téa continued to consider him as the music played. She hated everything about him, she even hated the child she was carrying because it was his.

But something in Téa continued to fight, something in her kept trying to break free. It whispered in her mind, _"Don't kill him yet. Let him continue to suffer, if you do that you can watch him completely break down. Then killing him will be pure pleasure."_

A wicked smile crossed Téa's lips as she dropped the gun in front of Nick, his tear-stained eyes looked up at her. "Why?" He croaked as his voice broke.

"Killing you now won't be any fun, watching you kill yourself will be so much more satisfying." Téa responded as she disappeared into the shadows.

Nick remained sitting on the floor with the gun in front of him for several minutes before deciding to try and get up. He gripped the side of the chair he had fallen against and tried to pull himself up, but his legs still felt like jelly and he fell against the chair back onto the floor. Before he could try again, there was a knock at the door. Nick wiped his eyes and called out for the person to enter.

Walking into the penthouse, Mai Valentine saw the gun lying on the ground in front of Nick. "Jesus, Nick. What did I say!" She yelled, running over to him and shoving the gun across the floor towards the wall.

Nick shook his head vigorously. "It wasn't me, Mai, it was Téa..."

Mai's eyes widened. "She was here, why?"

"She... she..." Nick started, shaking. He tried to hold the torrent of emotions that were threatening to overwhelm him.

"Shhh, let it out Nick, its ok. I'm here for you, I'm right here." Mai whispered, stroking his head as Nick began to sob uncontrollably into her shoulder.

From the darkness Téa watched her former fiancé as his emotions poured out. Téa tried to dismiss what she was seeing as a sign of his pathetic weakness. But a part of her felt pain at witnessing his angst and agony. That part of herself she was trying to keep locked away but the real Téa was slowly breaking free despite the best efforts of the artifice and it was afraid of what the Millennium Guardians would do if they suddenly found their weapon turned against them.

In the infirmary Yugi lay unconscious on the bed, recovering from the wound inflicted by Artemis, but his mind was also reflecting over the recent event. He felt he had to take the blame for everything that occurred while wishing he could wake up from this nightmare. His thoughts suddenly drifted to Serenity, the one person who remained at his side throughout it all. The gentle smile she had gave Yugi hope and desire for companionship. Any feelings he originally had for Artemis had disappeared the moment she tried to kill Serenity.

Artemis was watching him through a window above his bed. She smiled evilly as her eyes glowed. "I thought killing the Wheeler runt would cause you pain, but this? Oh, this is so much better, my dear sweet Yugi."


	33. Unwavering Emotions

Author's Notes: The chapter title was taken from the Pokemon Black and White soundtrack. Those who have played the games would likely remember hearing it during the scene when Bianca's father confronts Bianca in Nimbasa City to take her back home and then again when meeting Cheren on Route 5 after entering the Hall of Fame. It's pretty much sad music. Coincidentally my MP3 player had this particular track playing while I was editing the last scene in the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 33: Unwavering Emotions

Dawn broke once again over the Eastern Coast of the United States, notably over the Long Island suburb known as Kings Park where the Guardians presently resided. Drawing the interest of neighbours and passerby this particular morning was the sudden appearance of a white Mercedes G55 AMG parked in the driveway; this four-wheel drive vehicle was owned by an ally of the residence, Nick King, who had returned quite late to the house after a trip into Manhattan.

Walking downstairs from the bedrooms and straight into the dining room Nick rubbed his tired eyes, taking the vacant seat at the head of the table. Looking down to see who he was eating with, he found Mai sitting beside him on the left and Ryou to his right. Down the table on the left after Mai was Venus, Sephora, Koji, Joey, Jupiter and Kisara. On the right side of the table after Ryou was Bakura, Kiki, Mokuba, Miho, Hanasaki and Hathor. Kaiba faced him from the other end of the table. Ryou passed Nick a plate just as he sat down.

"Rebecca won't be joining us?" Nick asked, curiously noticing she was absent.

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Her highness is indisposed."

Nick shook his head, changing the topic of conversation. "How's Yugi?"

Venus swallowed her piece of toast and smiled. "Well, due to my expert..." She paused to glare at Sephora who had stifled a laugh, "care, Yugi should be up and about in a few hours. I just want to make sure the wound has completely sealed and there is no infection."

Nick nodded, rubbing his eyes and yawning. Bakura raised an eyebrow. "You look like crap, mortal."

"Gee thanks, I think you look pretty cute too Bakura, particularly that whole pale Goth, I-need-my-head-read-and-a-month-down-on-Bondi-look you're rocking." Nick sighed as Mai squeezed his hand gently. "I've had better nights, one involving three Victoria Secret models and a Paris hotel springs to mind... but that's a story for another time." Nick finished, noticing Hanasaki's face almost drowning in blood.

"Why, what made last night so rough? Couldn't you get a hold of your favourite New York hooker?" Joey spat with particular bile.

Mai quickly cast a glance at Nick who closed his eyes for a moment, allowing the comment to pass. "No, Joey... Téa paid a visit while I was in Manhattan."

This news caught the attention of the entire table; everyone paid full attention as Nick detailed the finer points of his confrontation with Téa the night before. Once he finished, Nick considered the plate of food in front of him and pushed it away. "I think I'll take a walk."

Once Nick had left the room, Sephora looked down the table at Joey, anger evident on her face. "Why do you have to antagonise him? We're all in this together, you know."

Joey rolled his eyes. "He's the one being a jerk. He's the one cheating on Téa behind her back."

Mai's eyes narrowed. "Who told you that?"

Joey looked back around at Mai. "I didn't need anyone to tell me you and Nick are doing it, I can see it. It's in your body language, Mai, you want it and he's giving it to you!"

Suddenly Mai, who would later in quiet moments regret, reached over and slapped Joey hard across the face. She withdrew, glaring furiously at the man she once considered as a possible lover and husband, those days were long behind them. Now all Mai could see was a bitter, angry man who was throwing aspersions on her character. As Joey rounded in fury, Venus and Serenity popped up in front of Mai.

Kaiba looked on, in the first time of his life he felt disgusted about the actions his former rival had done. Despite popular belief, the CEO had softened somewhat since retiring from the dueling world to concentrate on his company and the Duel Academy he was creating, and he was close to using physical force to get Joey under control. He growled. "If you touch her, I'll break your arm, Wheeler!"

Joey paused, glaring at Mai from behind the wall of women who had stepped in to stop him from harming her. He was shaking with anger, not so much from what Mai had done but with himself. "Mai... sorry." He mumbled, walking outside the long way to avoid Mai.

Serenity stared even after her big brother left, mortified he would act that way towards a woman, especially Mai. Serenity walked up to the blonde, looking her in the face. "I'm... "

Mai gave the younger woman a hug, kissing Serenity on the head. "It's alright hon, you don't have to apologise for your big brother."

Serenity exhaled, holding Mai close. "I just don't understand what made him act like that."

Unbeknownst to Serenity and Mai, Sephora and Venus cast concerned looks at each other in response to Serenity's comment. Sephora waved at Jupiter, who seemed frozen after watching Joey's outburst, to get her attention. "If the rest of you need us, we'll be with Selene." Sephora announced as the three left the room.

Kiki nudged Mokuba in the ribs, snapping him out of the shocked state he was in. "Oh, right. Uh, Seto, would it be ok if Kiki, Hanasaki, Miho and I went into town? It's boring around here."

Kaiba appeared unamused at the cute puppy expression Mokuba was giving him; Mokuba knew that face always worked when he was trying to get his way. "Fine, but Serenity has to go with you."

Serenity untangled herself from Mai, looking confused. "Why?"

"You have a Neo Guardian, if the Millennium Guardians attack you can defend them until the rest of us get there." Kaiba reasoned, sipping his tea.

Serenity smiled, purely out of content that Kaiba entrusted her with the safety of his little brother. "Oh, sure. Makes sense. I'll meet the four of you outside, I just have to go get my coat."

Mokuba was a bit surprised at his brother's request, but nonetheless he was happy Serenity was coming along. "Thank you, Seto."

Kaiba nodded. "Be careful, Mokuba." Once the others had left the room, Mai crossed her arms with a small smile on her face. Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I'm impressed, Kaiba, you seem more... reasonable today. Love suits you."

Kaiba spluttered into his tea, spilling a lot of it down the front of his shirt. "Love, what the devil are you..." He looked at Kisara who was smiling gently. "You, I, she... I'm going to change my shirt." He mumbled in defeat, leaving the table.

Kisara and Mai regarded each other for a moment before Mai smiled again. "Don't worry, hon, that boy's bark is worse than his bite."

"I find Seto's bite quite satisfactory." Kisara responded before leaving the room herself. Out of Mai's view, she giggled to herself over the reply she gave.

Mai blinked. She hardly imagined the rather quiet Kisara to respond in such a way. "Sex, sex, sex that's all they ever think about."

As Mai left the room it was just Ryou, Hathor and Bakura remaining. Ryou glanced at Bakura who was happily munching away on his plate of bacon. "Don't you have anything to say about what's happened?"

"Of course I do."

"And that would be...?"

"I'm running out of bacon." Ryou and even Hathor exchanged exasperated looks before returning to their breakfast.

Outside Joey had walked around the side of the house to the most isolated part of the backyard. He stood lent over, vomiting up his breakfast. His face was covered in sweat despite it being quite cool this morning. He felt as if he was fighting an infection, but instead of a fever it was bouts of murderous anger he was fighting against. Even in his darkest moments, he had never hated Nick this much. The darkness both terrified and enticed him but his better angels told him to fight it and he was trying. He was fighting it so hard, he was beginning to fear that he may not have the strength to fight anyone or anything else, and if there was one thing Joey feared more than the evil that was trying to consume him it was failing his friends. Joey was determined never to fail, he couldn't afford to. If he failed, Joey knew he'd become his father; the hateful, drunk old man he had spent years trying to get away from.

Joey straightened up as he heard soft footsteps approaching. He turned around and found Mai staring back at him. Joey growled. "What?"

"I just wanted to check on you, I... I heard you throwing up as I was walking around the house."

Joey looked away. "I'm fine..."

Mai sighed and shrugged. "What you say."

As she began to walk away Joey called her back, "Mai, look, just, sorry and thanks."

Mai smirked. "Don't worry about it." She responded, throwing Joey a wet towel. "Clean yourself up before Serenity sees you, that girl's got enough worry at the moment."

Joey nodded and allowed Mai to leave without saying another word. Moving a few paces, Joey slid down against the wall of the building he'd been leaning against and put his face in the towel. "I'm not going to fail, I'm going to fight and win." He whispered.

A short time later Nick returned downstairs to find only Ryou and Bakura still sitting at the table. Nick threw a file folder on the table, slumping into the chair he'd been sitting in before. Picking the folder off the table, he began reading the contents as he asked, "How's life, Ryou?"

"Hm, oh, it's good, well apart from the whole we-could-be killed-at any-time thing." Ryou responded.

Nick smiled. "We're Yugi's friends, what else is new."

"Good point."

"Did I hear wrong or did Téa... tell me you broke up with your boyfriend?" Nick asked, putting down the folder.

Ryou threw a death glare towards Bakura who ignored it. "Yeah, _someone_ scared him off."

Bakura rolled his eyes. "I believe in modern parlance he is called a gold digger. You shouldn't be dating men like that."

"He wasn't a gold digger; he was nice, and good in bed!" Ryou protested.

Nick coughed. "Ryou... did he spend your money?"

"Well, yeah I suppose he did..."

"Did he ever pay for anything himself?"

"Uh, no I guess not..." Ryou replied, closing his eyes and laying his chin on the tabletop. "Oh man."

"Yeah... sorry, Ryou."

Bakura rolled his eyes, "It wouldn't happen if you'd just date Marik."

"Marik's not gay." Nick and Ryou replied at the same time.

Bakura sighed at their simultaneous response. "Whatever."

Nick rubbed his temple as Ryou put on an embarrassed smile. "Well... Someone else is bound to come along."

"Atta boy, speaking for my fiancée you're a catch according to her."

Ryou blushed. "Thanks." He then noticed the sour expression on Bakura's face. "What's wrong now?"

"I'm out of bacon."

* * *

Téa Gardner sighed as she watched Artemis pace back and forth, the mist disturbed around her feet. "He hasn't been gone that long."

Artemis glared at her. "The fact he hasn't returned at all is my concern."

The brunette rolled her eyes. "If that idiot was defeated by Kaiba he deserves his fate."

"We still need him; we're not nearly at the end of the game yet. I haven't made all my moves." Artemis growled, rubbing the back of her neck.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Artemis snapped as Erebus, Nidoki, Forseti and Orpheus returned. She quickly noticed the annoyed look on Nidoki's face, making her aware that the four hadn't been successful in their missions. A smirk grew on her face as she saw Erebus had finally taken complete control over Yukai.

"Men, they are idiots!" Nidoki exclaimed, slapping Forseti over the back of the head.

"How was I supposed to know your plan?" Forseti demanded, rubbing the spot she hit.

Nidoki glared, moving to lean against a wall near Artemis and Téa. "Open your brain to telepathy once and awhile, idiot."

Artemis looked between Nidoki and Forseti. "What happened?"

Nidoki growled. "I was so close to killing Selene, she was giving the mortals her power. I knew I could kill Selene, then this idiot," Nidoki pointed at Forseti, "ruined it by killing Khepri. We almost got destroyed by Selene."

Orpheus took a deep breath, awaiting whatever punishment Artemis had in mind for their failure. When nothing came, he noticed his younger sister was more worried about something else.

Erebus looked around. "Where's Pluto?"

Artemis scowled. "He hasn't reappeared. Fool probably got killed by Kaiba."

"Almost but not quite, my dear Artemis."

At the entryway to the room was Pluto, but Artemis sensed something different and grinned. Earlier he managed to escape through the crevice in the Underworld after Kaiba and Kisara departed. This ancient evil currently took the form of Pluto, except his sinister eyes were no longer blue but red. He sealed himself inside Pluto to feed on the Guardian's negative emotions and eventually regain his lost power. Artemis had heard of this rumor but never thought she'd witnessed his return. "Lucifer, you've rid yourself of Pluto."

Lucifer's smile faded slightly. "Yes, but it's not all good news, the girl Kisara has figured out how the Soul Sphere works. It may be a problem."

Artemis frowned. She moved her gaze to a member of their group. "Téa, leave us."

"Whatever." Téa replied, walking out.

When she left, Erebus immediately tried to punch Lucifer in the face but missed as Lucifer dodged out of the way. He gritted his teeth in anger. "It _may_ be a problem? How about adding another one?" He already knew Artemis would not be pleased by the news he had to deliver. "Whatever happened in the Underworld, Joey and Kaiba can now freely summon Ammon! I was nearly killed!"

"If I had known what Pluto was up to, then I would have been able to stop him." Lucifer crossed his arms, looking directly at Artemis.

"Pluto has always been quite cunning," Artemis said. Her face remained stolid despite the news Erebus had given. It still wouldn't deter their mission one bit. "But no matter. Ammon can't do much on his own."

In the corridor Téa almost ran into Atem, "You should watch where you are going, dear Téa, or not."

Téa looked away in disgust trying to move around him. But Atem manoeuvred himself to trap Téa against the wall. He smirked, pausing to sniff the air as the smell of her perfume intoxicated him. Moving in, he captured her lips in a passionate kiss. Téa gripped the wall for support, the kiss stirring feelings inside her she hadn't felt in some time. Finally Téa pushed him off, slapping the former Pharaoh hard across the face. "If you want to continue breathing Atem, never do that again."

Atem smirked. "And what's to... eh?" He started before he felt a sudden sharp object pressing into his stomach.

From her stocking Téa had pulled a knife which was now pressing against his stomach. "Never again." She warned scornfully, finally walking away from him.

Atem clenched his fists, seething with anger. His one condition for joining the Millennium Guardians in their fight was the promise that Téa would be his once Yugi and the others were dead. That dream and promise seemed to be slipping through his fingers quicker every moment.

In an alcove nearby Téa sat on the floor, tears rolling down her cheeks. She didn't feel sad but the tears still came. Téa tried to focus on the reason for her anger, the fact her friends had abandoned her to Nick and the fact when she told him she was pregnant he had run away to some slut for comfort. Téa tried to focus but new memories were replacing the ones she knew as true in her mind's eye. She could see the memory of telling Nick she was pregnant, though the mood was different...

_A cool breeze swept through Rundle Mall, disrupting an otherwise warm December day in the heart of Adelaide's business district. Téa stirred her coffee nervously as her fiancé stared in interest and concern. Téa hadn't been in her usual mood recently ever since her visit to the doctor a week before. "Soo..."_

_Téa blinked. "So what?"_

_"You're the one who wanted to go out for lunch. What's up?"_

_Téa breathed deeply, deciding to get it over with. "Well... I went to the doctor's a couple of weeks ago for some tests." She raised her voice slightly to avoid having Nick interrupt her. "I went back last week for the results and I'm pregnant." Nick froze in place, the shock not completely sinking in at first. He lent back in the chair, running his fingers through his hair. Téa tapped the table impatiently, waiting for him to respond. "Well... what? I mean, what do you think?"_

_Nick opened and closed his mouth several times before smiling. "I think it's the best news I've ever heard."_

_Téa's eyes widened. "You're happy about this, right?"_

_"Of course I'm happy, Téa!" Nick proclaimed, picking her up in his arms. "We're going to be parents!" He brought Téa down into his arms, her hair fell down, brushing against his face. They were both smiling the broadest smiles they'd ever had. "I love you, Téa."_

_Téa blushed. "I love you too. I was so nervous..." She replied, wrapping her legs around his waist._

_Nick continued smiling. "You shouldn't have been. A child bonds us together in the best possible way, forever. I want to spend forever with you Téa, that's why I asked you to marry me."_

_Téa kissed him again. "I want to spend forever with you too. But..."_

_Nick blinked. "But...?"_

_"Well, the doctor said that most things that go wrong in a pregnancy happen in the first trimester. Can we wait to tell Yugi and the others until the end of the first three months?"_

_"Sure, I can't wait to see the look on Yugi's face when we tell him he's going to be an uncle."_

Téa had remembered, giggling at the remark about the look on Mai's face.

It was completely different from her real memory. In her real memory Nick left without a word and only returned three days later after spending that time with a Russian woman, his business associate. Téa was beginning to question what was real and what was false. Nick and Yugi didn't act like people who just wanted power. Nick certainly didn't the two times she had him at her mercy. She was sure that once she had Nick at her mercy he would offer her power in exchange for continuing to live; therefore confirming her worst fears but it had yet to happen.

The darkness controlling Téa was beginning to doubt itself, its hold on her was weakening, but deep inside her own body Téa knew that to finally defeat the artifice controlling her was going to be difficult if she could manage it at all.

* * *

Morning had turned to afternoon for the residents and visitors to New York and Long Island. Mokuba, Kiki, Hanasaki, Miho and Serenity were still out on their field trip into Manhattan. Kaiba was spending time with Kisara, and Joey took the opportunity in favor of sleeping. The Guardians, Selene and Horus had locked themselves away in the den, refusing any and all attempts to get them out.

Meanwhile Yugi's daughter sat staring out into the backyard, a new layer of snow had fallen late the previous night covering the sludge and slurry the previous layer had turned into. Hathor liked white as a colour; there was something about the purity of it she found soothing. She found herself toying with a silver chain around her neck and then turned her head to consider her "mother" Rebecca as she entered the room.

"Those Guardians are hiding something, I know they are. They've been down in that den all day and refuse to let anyone in." Rebecca complained, pacing back and forth.

"Perhaps they don't want you to overhear because of the farcical way you conduct your life." Hathor replied, sensing another presence nearby.

Rebecca rounded on the young girl. "What did you just say?" She had underestimated Hathor yet again, fully realizing that her inherited Guardian traits were the reason she was not like any ordinary six year old.

"You live your life as a farce, a play for others to watch. You do this because you want attention, you scream at the world until someone will listen because you're scared of what might happen if people stopped paying attention to you. You live the deception that Daddy loves you because you have no existence beyond that. You live in a fake world because you are a fake person."

Rebecca's eyes widened. "You little witch!" She yelled, raising her hand to slap the child when suddenly she found she could no longer move her hand. Looking around, she found Nick holding her arm tightly in his grip. "Unhand me, jerk!" Rebecca yanked her arm from his hand, slapping him across the face for good measure.

In a heartbeat, though, her smugness turned into fear. If Rebecca Hawkins ever had reason to question why once upon a time Nicholas King was the most feared duellist on the planet, it was answered in the look he was giving her now. In her twenty four years on earth she never had someone look at her that way. It wasn't a threatening look, it was a knowing look. Rebecca knew that he knew how to kill her; the look conveyed the knowledge that he could kill her in one movement and one moment. Rebecca Hawkins would never forget this moment. Long after she left this place, long after she forgot the name of the street, its number or even that it was in New York, she would remember that look and a surge of fresh fear would threaten to overwhelm her.

"I've always had a policy to never hit a woman; do not make me regret that policy. Leave, now." He whispered. Rebecca acknowledged him and fled the room in fear of her life. Nick frowned, turning his gaze back to Hathor who was watching him carefully. "Sorry you had to see that."

Hathor shrugged. Hopping off the chair, she approached Nick. "Where's Daddy?"

"The infirmary still, he'll be ok." Nick replied, patting her on the head.

Hathor pushed his hand away. Her eyes locked on his, staring with slight annoyance. "I do not like being patronised."

Nick smiled. "Sorry, I'll remember that for next time." Hathor nodded, leaving the room. Once she was gone, Nick pulled his phone out and dialled a number. "It's time we got rid of that damn woman."

As darkness arrived to commence the night, Yugi sat on the rooftop balcony, watching as the snow once again began to fall. Yugi wrapped his jacket around himself as someone joined him on the roof. "Venus told me you were up here."

Yugi cast a side glance to Nick who was offering him whiskey. He took it reluctantly as Nick wandered forward to look out over the landscape. Yugi swirled the contents of his glass around in his hand, considering everything that was happening. "Nick, what was it like being altered by the Guardians to be evil?"

Nick's eyes narrowed, looking back at Yugi curiously. "That's an odd question."

"I know but... what did it feel like?"

Nick's eyes darkened, taking himself back to the time Sonja, a Titan Guardian working with the Final Five to revive the Galactic Dragon, had altered his memories and made him a mole amongst his friends. He eventually revealed himself as a traitor but was defeated by Téa who summoned her Ka, Shinato King of a Higher Plane, forcing his real memories to the surface. The memories of the first time Shadow Phoenix had appeared and been defeated by the same monster during their duel at the tournament he held in Adelaide.

"It... it felt like someone had entered my mind and was ripping it apart, like I was being forced to be another person. I was forced to relive every bad memory I ever had until I was so confused and hurt that I would believe anything they told me. I did their bidding until Téa rescued me."

"I remember, Nick. I need a favour."

"Anything."

"If... if I ever become evil, if I fall under Artemis's control and it looks like I might hurt Serenity or Hathor, I need you to kill me."

"But that..." Nick responded, finishing his earlier comment.

"Nick..."

"Don't ask me that, Yugi, don't ask me to do what you are asking. I can't, I won't kill my best friend."

"Nick, I need this from you." Yugi insisted.

"Why me?"

Yugi put his glass on the bench, walking to stand beside Nick. "Because you'll do it. I can't ask the girls because I can't burden them with this. The Guardians will refuse to kill Ra, and Kaiba and Joey, they'll say yes and then look for every reason to get out of it." Yugi looked at Nick's face which had become unreadable. "I'm not asking because I think you're a better killer than them, I'm asking because you have the mentality of a leader, the ability to see the big picture and the ability to put your feelings aside for the greater good."

"Oh, yeah, I've been demonstrating that really effectively recently." Nick commented dryly.

"I know you would if it came down to it." Yugi assured him. "Please Nick, I don't, I can't live with the knowledge that I might hurt Serenity. I-I..." Yugi paused, unsure of what he was going to say next.

Nick looked at him. "You love her, don't you, maybe more than Artemis."

Yugi blushed and after a moment shook his head. During his recovery he thought more about Serenity and couldn't keep his mind off her. He was entranced by her beauty and kindness - traits Artemis once had. Artemis was no longer the girl Yugi remembered her as and instead tossed aside his former feelings into protecting his new affection. "She's everything Artemis was and more, and I need to protect her. I can't lose Serenity too."

Nick closed his eyes and walked away from Yugi a few steps. "Ok..."

Yugi turned around as Nick sat back on the bench. "Ok what?"

"Ok, I'll carry out your orders. If and only if you turn bad and the only option is to kill you to save Serenity."

The duelist nodded, sitting beside Nick. "Th-"

"Don't, Yugi, don't thank me for this. I don't want to be thanked for signing the death warrant of my best friend. Just so you know if it happens, it's the end of Téa and me. I don't think she'd ever be able to look me in the eyes again."

Yugi looked away, pained by this information. "I understand."

After that, both men sat in silence, watching the snow and awaiting the dawn. Both sides were planning, both sides were keeping secrets that could destroy. It remained to be seen who would emerge from the coming battles unscathed. All that lay ahead right now, they were just two friends watching the snow fall.


	34. Lord, What Fools These Mortals Be!

Chapter 34: Lord, What Fools These Mortals Be!

The next morning Yugi awoke early and sat staring out the window of the guest room that looked out towards the Long Island Sound. Yugi barely acknowledged the knock at the door, paying even less attention as Serenity slipped into his room. She blushed, watching her crush stare into the distance. As much as she tried, Serenity couldn't figure out what he was thinking, this didn't really matter to her it just made Yugi more alluring. Now Serenity understood what Téa had seen in Atem all those years ago.

Approaching him gingerly she could see his expression change, a small smile replacing the previously unreadable expression on his face. Serenity stopped beside him, interlacing her fingers with his. "What are you staring at?"

"The ocean, it's so calm, it's really relaxing." Yugi replied, not taking his eyes off the water. "We never get to see the ocean living in Domino and so many of our friends live near the coast."

"Well, when this is over maybe, um, we could spend some time at the coast. You and me... and Joey and Mai and Mokuba, we'll all go together. Nick and Téa can come too." Serenity suggested, trying to soothe him by stroking his hair gently.

Yugi smiled, softly resting his head on her shoulder. "This is nice."

Serenity nodded. "Yeah."

After a while they decided to join the others downstairs for breakfast. As they walked down the steps straight into the dining room, their fingers still intertwined, they caught the eye of Nick who once again was sitting at the head of the table. He smiled, tapping Mai on the hand. Mai noted the development and joined Nick in smiling as did everyone else at the table.

Both Serenity and Yugi blushed a deep crimson at the attention until Joey entered from the backyard, his eyes narrowed. "Yugi, what the hell are you doing touching my sister!" He demanded, slapping Yugi's hand away from Serenity's.

"Joey!" Serenity yelped in shock as Joey grabbed her hand roughly.

"Come with me." Joey dragged Serenity around the side, pushing her against the wall. "What have you been doing with Yugi, what were you doing earlier!"

Serenity blinked. "Nothing, we were just talking."

Joey had been pacing in front of his sister, but her last comment made him stop. "Don't lie to me, Serenity. He's dangerous to be around. I know you're in love with him but he'll get you killed—he's going to get us killed. Do as your big brother says, stay away from Yugi."

His sister was completely bewildered by Joey's attitude; during their short time in Los Angeles they had discussed her feelings for Yugi. Serenity thought Joey understood her feelings, more than that she thought he approved of her feelings for Yugi and was all for her pursuing a relationship with him when the time was right. This change in his attitude was completely out of character and frankly it was scaring her. But Serenity wasn't the weak little girl that had been afraid of having eye surgery anymore. She was a confident young woman and she knew she could say, "No."

Joey rounded on her in shock. "What?"

"I said no, Joey. You're my brother, I love you but I'm not a little girl anymore, you can't make me do what you want anymore. You can't tell me what to do with my life, I'm the only one who can decide that and I've decided I love Yugi, I want him. For all his faults and all his pluses I want him for myself even if it kills me. I want to stand by his side until my last breath and you can't stop me."

"Can't I?" Joey demanded, grabbing Serenity by the throat and shoving her against the wall.

Serenity tried in vain to pull his arm off her but Joey's strength was greater than hers. "Joey, stop, you're hurting me!" She pleaded, pulling at his arm.

"You'll do as I say, Serenity, if you won't do it because I ask I'll make you. You spoilt little bitch, you think you can defy your brother!" Joey spat viciously, his eyes filling with hate and anger as Kaiba, Mai, Nick, Sephora and Jupiter rounded the corner.

Kaiba's eyes widened to full as he took in the sight of Joey wrapping his hands around Serenity's throat. "Wheeler, what in the hell are you doing!" He yelled, tackling Joey to the ground. Joey's hands slipped from his sister's throat as he fell. Both men scrambled to their feet, Joey sent a fist across Kaiba's face, causing the billionaire to crash into the ground.

"Stay out of this, Kaiba, it's none of your business!" Joey yelled angrily.

"Is it mine?" A voice asked behind him. Joey turned with another fist which Nick dodged easily, as Joey rounded for another go, he felt in the moment before unconsciousness descended the distinct imprint of a foot connecting with his head. Joey collapsed in a heap, knocked out on the grass as Nick regained his footing, looking disgusted over the heap that was at one time his friend.

Nick walked over, offering Kaiba a hand up. The CEO reluctantly accepted the hand, pulling himself up and spitting blood from his mouth. He considered Joey for a moment before looking at Nick. "Where did that move come from?"

"Mixed Martial Arts, I've been doing some training to keep myself fit." Nick answered, looking at the bruises on Kaiba's face. "Remind me to give you their number later, you could use some fight training."

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "I remember being better at this six years ago."

"You've spent six years behind a desk." Jupiter commented sarcastically, consoling Serenity who had descended into a full sobbing mess almost immediately after Joey had released her throat. Nick and Kaiba considered each other for a moment. "We can't put Serenity in her room, it's right next to Joey's."

"Put Serenity and her stuff in my room, she'll be safe with me." Mai interjected. Both men nodded, turning their attention back to Joey.

Kaiba bent down and dug through Joey's pockets. The others looked on, curious to know what he'd been searching for. He finally pulled out the desired object: Ammon the Bronze Phoenix Dragon's card. He figured the card would be safer in his possession than in Joey's for the time being. "What should we do with him?" Kaiba asked.

"We'll carry him up to his room for now; maybe we can lock him in and keep him there for a while until..." Nick started.

"We figure out what the hell is wrong with him." Kaiba finished in agreement.

Jupiter nodded, adding, "Noah can keep him locked in his room indefinitely, it's an old house with old fashion doors, and he won't be able to break through unless he breaks something."

With the arrangements agreed the women took a still sobbing Serenity upstairs to Mai's room while Nick and Kaiba carried Joey up to his room which was then locked from the outside by Noah and sealed shut. Walking back downstairs, Nick sighed, noting that breakfast had broken up due to the scene earlier, he considered his abandoned and now cold food and decided to just pour himself a fresh glass of orange juice instead. He noticed Hanasaki and Miho leaving the room hand in hand and smiled as Yugi and Kaiba entered.

"Hey, can we discuss something?" Nick asked them. Both men stared at each other and then sat down on either side of Nick who put his glass on the table, pushing the half-eaten food away. When Sephora, Mai, Jupiter and Kisara entered as well, Nick beckoned them over. After everyone was seated he began to speak, "We have a problem."

"Just one?" Sephora asked sarcastically.

"Ok, we have a lot of problems; I'm talking about one we can deal with: Miho and Hanasaki."

The group exchanged confused looks before Yugi spoke, "If you're suggesting they're spying..."

"I don't think that's what King is saying, Yugi, although if there is a spy..." Kaiba started but a clearing of throat by Mai cut him off.

Nick decided to jump in, "That's not what I'm saying, Yugi, what I am saying is that they're a liability we could do without. Everyone at this table knows the Guardians; particularly Artemis likes to have puppets to manipulate. Every time we've been in conflict with the Guardians they've manipulated and controlled us by using our friends, they used Artemis and Téa twice, you, Tristan and me to confuse and disrupt our attempts to defeat them."

"Even if they don't use them as puppets killing them is equally as good as a tool to hurt us." Jupiter said to reinforce Nick's point.

"What are you suggesting?" Yugi asked.

"We get them away from here. Send them somewhere they can be safe until this blows over." Nick explained.

"Where though? We can't send them back to Domino, they'll be as good as dead unprotected by Guardians." Sephora protested.

"I'll take care of it." Nick promised.

"Nick, think, putting them up somewhere you own isn't going to work either, Téa knows about those places. She'll tell the Guardians where to attack as soon as she knows they're gone." Mai pointed out.

Nick smiled, taking a sip of his juice. "It's ok, Mai. There are some places I have that Téa doesn't even know about."

Everyone at the table stared at him suspiciously so Nick decided to elaborate, "King Industries maintains apartments and safe houses across the world for our reporters. If things get hot they can go to the nearest safe house and hide out and arrange a way to get home safely. These safe houses are business related. For the most part Téa's always tried to avoid that side of my life preferring to concentrate on her dancing. We can hide them anywhere in the world and unless the Guardians look hard they're not going to find them. Two amongst six billion... I don't... hm." Nick stopped speaking, realizing they were being watched.

Yugi picked up on it as well but decided to ask anyway. "Where will you take them?"

"The safest place to put them is as far from New York as possible, we have an apartment in Auckland they can stay at." Nick explained, writing something down on a piece of paper he pulled from his jacket and sliding it over to show Yugi, who nodded, passing the note around the table before giving it back to Nick.

"Well, that's settled then." Nick announced, preparing to get up from the table. As he did, Selene entered and focused her attention to Jupiter and Sephora.

"Actually, while you're all here we should discuss what we're going to do next." Sephora requested.

The men nodded and sat back down joined by Selene. Yugi could sense Horus's presence but couldn't see him as Kaiba started to speak, "It would be easier to plan for their next attacks if we actually knew where the Millennium Guardians were."

Jupiter raised an eyebrow. "If you have a suggestion I'd love to hear it, Kaiba. By the time we know where they are, they're attacking already."

"That's the point though isn't it, if we knew where they were based we could take the fight to them. Turn the tone of battle around and act instead of reacting." Nick added, leaning on his elbow.

Selene's facial expression showed disapproval. "You talk as if we're at war."

"Aren't we?" Mai asked. After witnessing Khepri's death back on Elysium, she realized just how great the danger had become. The enemies her friends encountered many years ago seemed so little compared to the Millennium Guardians—they were dealing with godlike beings.

Selene averted her eyes as Nick frowned. "You and the other Guardians may not want to admit it but we are at war with the Millennium Guardians. They've chosen to turn this from a battle to a war when they started murdering our friends. The semantics are immaterial at this point." He said.

The Holy Guardian glared at Nick, causing Sephora and Jupiter to recoil, Nick chose to stare back coolly. "What would you have us do, mortal?"

Nick paused for a moment before responding, "Sun Tzu says the battle is won or lost before you step onto the battlefield. The best informed general wins the battle. Right now if we stepped out onto the battlefield we'd lose because we have no information, except of course the information you and Horus choose to drip feed us. What we need is information—something that can point us in the right direction on where to go next."

Selene remained silent for several moments. She considered her thoughts and said, "There is a possibility, but it's going to be dangerous..."

"I'll go!" Yugi, Sephora, Jupiter, Ryou and Kisara volunteered before Selene had even stopped speaking. The Holy Guardian could only look on, puzzled by their eagerness to go on this mission.

Kaiba shifted uncomfortably in his seat when he realized Kisara was going. He nearly resisted in accepting, but his conscious kept telling him to go along and protect her. Past life or not, he feared he was becoming a bit too close to the blue-haired woman he had never known until recently. "I'll go." Kaiba finally caved in to say.

Bakura rolled his eyes, already aware he wouldn't be able to convince Ryou to back out. "I guess this means I'll have to go as well."

"Me too." A voice volunteered meekly.

Everyone in the room turned around to find Serenity standing at the base of the stairs; she had a heavy coat on and a scarf covering the bruises from the earlier incident with Joey. Mai cast a concerned stare over the teen. "Are you sure, Serenity?"

Serenity nodded. "I'd... rather not hang around here for a while."

Selene frowned. "The group is too big, two of you will have to stay."

Kaiba's eyes shot open, finding his one chance. He looked down the table. "Kisara will stay."

"Huh, why, Seto?" Kisara blinked, confused over his sudden decision.

"I just don't want to worry that you'll..." Pausing, Kaiba felt his face turning red and realizing suddenly that everyone at the table was staring at the exchange intently. He cleared his throat, crossing his arms. After all, he was too prideful to show any emotion, such as falling for a woman, to ruin the image he established over the years as the mighty Seto Kaiba. "I just think it would be safer for you here."

Kisara smiled, a small blush crossing the bridge of her nose. "Of course, Seto."

"I'll stay; I have enough crawling over ruins in my everyday life." Sephora said.

Selene nodded. "Then it is agreed, I think we should wait until tomorrow to allow all of us to be suitably rested. Please dress for cold weather and climbing."

The group broke up, leaving Yugi and Nick at the table. Yugi cast a side glance at Nick. "You're not going?"

Nick shrugged. "I'll stay here to make sure things are all ok. Besides we both know there's a spy in the ranks. This might be our only chance to get rid of them. I don't want to miss it."

Yugi shook his head. "My taste in women sucks..."

Nick laughed. "Only this time."

Later that day everyone assembled to farewell Miho and Hanasaki. They looked nervous but excited at the opportunity to visit a city they'd never been to before. Watching but not participating was Rebecca Hawkins who was busy on the phone. As their car left for Kennedy Airport, she looked on furiously at the sight of Serenity standing and holding hands with Yugi. Rebecca knew Yugi was hers and the little red-headed whelp was in her way, for now.

The rest of the day passed without incident as it seemed that the Millennium Guardians were taking the day off as well. Most of the group spent the day in or around the dining room as it seemed Rebecca was lurking in the halls. The mood during dinner was tense, partly because Rebecca had joined them and partly because everyone finally knew what had happened between Serenity and Joey that morning when Nick and Kaiba delivered Joey's dinner to him. Rebecca demanded to know why he couldn't join them, forcing Nick and Kaiba to relate the sordid tale.

The next morning everyone was up early for breakfast, this time the mood was slightly better because Rebecca had decided not to join them. Yugi and Hathor had, for the first time, father and daughter sat together for a meal. Even though no one remarked, it struck everyone present how alike they were and how much unspoken love was shared between the two.

But this moment of peace was short-lived as shortly after breakfast it was time for Selene, Yugi, Kaiba, Ryou, Bakura, Jupiter and Serenity to leave on their expedition to Animus. Nick, Mai, Koji, Kisara, Mokuba, Kiki, and Sephora gathered to wish them well as Selene summoned a warp tunnel. Moments later the gang stepped through back into Animus, not knowing what would await them on the other side.


	35. Ruins and Revenge Part I

Chapter 35: Ruins and Revenge Part I

Yugi, Selene, Jupiter, Serenity, Ryou, Bakura and Kaiba landed on the other side of the warp tunnel in a valley between two vast mountain ranges. Yugi shivered, wrapping the coat tighter around himself as his breath froze in the wind. He looked up into the sky, expecting it to be blue only to realize that a storm was swirling around them. The sky was grey near black, a small amount of light from the sun seeping through to cover the area in a strange grey light.

Walking away from the exit of the warp tunnel, Yugi sensed the presence of some familiar Guardians. He scanned the skyline, slowly frowning. "Mars, Neptune, get out here!" He demanded.

Appearing from behind large stone pillars a short way down the valley they both looked at each other curiously. "How did he know?" Neptune asked.

Mars shrugged. "I guess it's his Guardian half, Sephora said it was kicking in."

Selene placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "It's all right, Yugi. I summoned them to assist us." Yugi frowned but nodded, relaxing his posture as the others caught up.

"Where are we exactly?" Serenity asked, shivering from the cold.

"The northern most point on the planet, the Icarus Mountains." Mars explained, looking around the valley. "This entire area is surrounded by ice, the closest city is tens of thousands of kilometres away."

"Why do they call them the Icarus Mountains?" Ryou asked, having a sinking suspicion he knew why.

"Because anyone foolish enough to try and scale them usually dies in the attempt." Jupiter explained.

"We're not planning on scaling the mountains, are we?" Ryou tried keeping the fear out of his voice.

Mars sniggered slightly. "No, mortal, the ruins are in this valley. We haven't excavated them as much as the ruins near Gold City because they're in the Icarus Mountains but we have done some work to that end to make it easier."

"Let's go then!" Yugi announced, moving up the front of the group to lead them deeper into the Icarus valley.

Ryou groaned. "I have bad feeling about this..."

* * *

Back on Earth several hours had passed since Yugi and the others had left for the ruins on Animus. Shortly after they were gone, a messenger arrived at the front door to the house, bringing a package for Nick. Nick had received it and had disappeared into his room.

It was now approaching lunch, and Sephora entered the family room to find Nick and Mai watching the BBC Worldwide feed of an event taking place in Auckland, New Zealand. Sephora's eyes widened, exchanging a look with Mai. "Nick, isn't that where...?"

Nick nodded, standing up. "Yes, it is. It seems Téa and Artemis decided to take a day off to visit Auckland." He responded as Horus entered the room.

Horus's attention quickly drew to the feed. He knew both Hanasaki and Miho were sent to Auckland, but soon realized something was amiss. "Isn't that where you hid your other friends?"

Nick smiled. "It is, it's just lucky I didn't send them South."

The Holy Guardian cocked his eyebrow. "Then where did you send them?"

Far away from New York, Hanasaki sighed, staring out the window of the penthouse Nick had put them up in. He heard the ding of the elevator chime, announcing Miho had arrived back from her shopping trip. Miho entered with a big grin on her face, throwing the bags on the couch. She approached Hanasaki, wrapping her arms around him. "Soho is so cool, you should have come!" She declared, kissing her boyfriend on the cheek.

Hanasaki blushed. "We're supposed to be hiding."

Miho rolled her eyes. "We're in the middle of London, at least let's try to have some fun than having to be stuck inside here all day and night. What did Nick call this place?"

"The Gherkin."

Miho shrugged. "Well, whatever, as long as the Guardians can't find us and... I'm with you, I'll be fine." Hanasaki blushed again as Miho broke away from him, grabbing the bags of clothes she'd just bought. "I'll leave you to stare out the window while I go try on all the sexy clothes I just bought." She announced, walking into the bedroom.

Hanasaki initially ignored Miho's announcement until he processed what she had said. Suddenly his head shot up. "Oh Miho, wait for me!"

Standing atop the building known as the Gherkin, Stella and Nanook stared out over the London skyline. Stella groaned, staring lazily at the sky. It was bad enough that her old faction, the Final Five, split up after Seiryu's attempt at destroying the universe but to become the babysitters to the two humans really dampened her mood. "Why is it we get all the jobs guarding mortals, what exactly did we do to incur this punishment?"

"Um... it might have something to do with the time you switched Uranus's shampoo with super glue." Nanook responded. He held up a clipboard with a pen in his right hand, writing down several notes to fill out a report for when he returned back to Animus. All Guardians were required to record their missions in order to keep tabs on them.

Stella blinked several times, gathering her memories of the event and the furious look on their fellow Guardian's face. She vaguely remembered Uranus saying they would regret their little practical joke. "Oh yeah... Wait, that was you!"

Nanook smiled. "Oh yeah, I blamed you."

Stella's head sunk. "I hate you."

"Whatever." The male Guardian heard a groan from her before Stella marched off on her own. He shrugged, returning back to his work.

Back in New York, Horus felt his mouth close to gaping open. The initial shock quickly wore off, and he couldn't help but chuckle at the turn of events. "Clever mortal, Rebecca heard what she wanted to hear..."

"And reported it back to the Millennium Guardians who took the bait. Noah monitored her conversation with Artemis as we farewelled Miho and Hanasaki yesterday." Nick said.

Horus had a train of thought pop up in his head. "How do you know that Artemis and your fiancée won't simply attack this mortal city in anger?"

"I don't, but I figure the Millennium Guardians can only do so much damage before a higher power steps in and stops them, permanently."

"How do you figure that?" The Holy Guardian was rather interested in hearing how the mortal came to his conclusion.

Nick shrugged. "We've all got a boss."

"Who is your boss, mortal?"

"Téa, naturally." Nick replied, walking outside. No sooner than he left, Horus, Mai and Sephora had followed him. He frowned, finding Rebecca standing on the grass, cursing herself out for falling into Nick's trap. "Rebecca Hawkins!"

Rebecca turned around, glaring at Nick. She was in no mood wanting to put up with him. "What?"

He smirked. "I challenge you to a duel!"

* * *

Entering the Icarus ruins the group had to duck lower and lower, eventually having to start crawling through the narrowest sections. The passages were so narrow the Guardians were forced to transform into their human avatars to avoid their wings being snagged or caught in the rocks. The air was stale almost putrid as they crawled forward through the passage. They could all tell this was a ruin that hadn't been opened in centuries, maybe millennia. At the front of the group there was a sigh of relief from Yugi as he emerged into a cavern large enough for them to stand up straight.

Stopping for a rest, the water can was passed around, and Yugi looked to Mars and Neptune. "How much further?"

Mars snapped his fingers and the torches lining the walls of the corridor lit up. "We walk for another kilometre, then descend another two kilometres to the entrance to the ruins."

Serenity blinked. "Wait, I thought we were already in the ruins?"

Neptune shook his head. "That's what we thought the first time we excavated the Icarus ruins. But the actual entrance is deep underground. Trinity scientists have estimated these ruins date from long before the Final Battle. They may even have existed at the creation of Animus. We've never been able to precisely date them."

Yugi pulled himself to his feet, dusting himself off. "Well we shouldn't wait around then." He announced, starting down the tunnel towards the cliff. The others ran after him shortly afterwards. As he walked, Yugi noticed that the tunnel was curving downwards, leading them further under Animus.

He stopped suddenly after about an hour of walking, finally arriving at the cliff Neptune had mentioned. He dropped to his knees and gingerly approached the edge of the cliff, not realizing Kaiba had taken hold of his belt just in case. Peering over the edge, he suddenly felt uneasy about the entire endeavour, as at two kilometres deep, Yugi couldn't see the bottom of the shaft. Sitting up, he cast a glance back to the others. "Uh, do we have a plan on how we're going to get down there?"

Mars and Neptune exchanged glances. "We were just planning to fly."

Yugi looked at the two, forcing to smack his palm on his face due to them overlooking the flaw in their plan. Jupiter tapped them both on the shoulder. "_Some_ of us can't fly, remember?"

Mars and Neptune turned around, facing Serenity, Ryou and Bakura and blushed slightly. "Oh, right."

They immediately transformed, each Guardian's two wings expanding to full span as they did. "Well, I'm sure we can carry you..." Neptune started when he realized no one was listening anymore. In transforming into his Guardian form Neptune had suddenly pushed Yugi to the edge of the cliff, extending his wings had pushed him over the edge, literally.

Swearing at his brother's carelessness, Mars dove into the shaft after Yugi. His speed was incredibly dangerous in such a narrow space but Mars had no choice if he were to save his friend and the reincarnation of Ra.

Plummeting down the shaft, Yugi pondered what it would be like to die, he had considered asking Nick what death felt like but thought that with Téa around it was probably in poor taste. He considered whether when he hit the floor he would even feel his own head break open or if unconsciousness would take over first. He also considered after a moment that it was taking an exceptionally long time for him to hit the floor. "Wait... I've stopped falling?"

"It's nice you finally noticed." Mars replied, holding Yugi by his ankle only centimetres away from the floor of the shaft. He slowly lowered Yugi to the floor as Serenity and Ryou were carried down by Neptune.

Serenity sprinted to Yugi, trapping him in a bone-breaking hug. "Ohhh, you... Don't do that to me! I got really scared!"

Yugi blushed, wrapping his arms gently around Serenity. "Sorry, I didn't mean to."

As Selene descended with Kaiba and Bakura, Jupiter slapped Neptune in the back of the head. "OW! What was that for?"

"Being an idiot." Jupiter replied in a huff. She briefly wondered how Pluto made the decision to promote both Mars and Neptune as Genesis; not that she even wanted such a high rank in the first place as she didn't want to put up with Pluto's occasional antics.

Neptune groaned as Serenity released Yugi from the hug, now facing the entrance to the Icarus ruins. Exhaling, Yugi entered the ruin cautiously. Mars followed, lighting a spherical light that rose to hover over them as the group walked deeper into the ruins. Following the curving corridor they emerged into the main chamber. It was long and narrow with a pillar every few feet dividing the chamber into three distinct areas. The main draw of the chamber was the large tablet at the very back.

Walking up to it, Yugi reached out, dusting away some of the dirt. "We've found it..." He whispered.

Back on the surface a large aircraft carrier type vehicle hovered over the Icarus Mountains. Standing on the deck of the carrier Lucifer and Erebus stared down into the valley with deep concern etched on their faces. Erebus reached into the pocket of his robes, pulling out a communicator. "I want that ruin ripped open now, captain."

"Yes sir!" A voice on the other end replied.

Lucifer cast a side glance at Erebus. "They still obey you?"

Erebus chuckled. "I am the head of the Trinity, Matt doesn't dare question it."

Lucifer returned his gaze to the valley below keeping his suspicions about Erebus and Matt's future role as the leaders of the Trinity to himself, for now. They felt the deck hum with power under their feet as one of the carrier's main cannons began to charge.

Carefully removing the dirt and dust that had collected over the wall, Ryou and Yugi stood back to admire their work on the tablet. Yugi stepped forward to examine it more closely and frowned. "Uh oh..."

"What is it, Yugi?" Serenity asked.

"It's not hieroglyphics, it's Latin." Yugi responded, turning back to the others who had been examining the rest of the chamber.

"Well that's ok, all Guardians speak Latin, right?" Serenity responded brightly, turning to the three Guardians they had with them who looked uneasy. "Right?"

Jupiter blushed. "Um, no. Only the Millennium Guardians were ever taught how to speak Latin, they were the focus of the prophecies of what was to come. The rest of us are just bit players so it was never deemed necessary." She explained with a slight edge of anger in her voice.

"I guess this trip is bust, none of your mortal friends speak Latin..." Mars announced.

"One does." Kaiba cut in, looking at Yugi.

Yugi slapped his forehead. "Nick, of course!" He stood up, turning to the rest of the group. "Mars, can you go back to Earth and bring Nick with you? He's the only one who can translate this for us."

Whatever answer Mars was about to give was cut off by an explosion that sent everyone in the chamber to the floor. Dust fell from the ceiling as air, smoke and dust exploded through the entrance. Yugi coughed, shaking the dust out of his hair and pulling himself to his feet. "Everyone alright?"

The others responded in the affirmative as Mars flew back into the room, looking alarmed. "It's a Trinity helicarrier with Pluto and Yukai aboard. I don't think they have any intention of letting us leave alive."


	36. Ruins and Revenge Part II

Author's Notes: The duel scene has remained mostly intact from Linkin-Phoenix's version. I honestly couldn't create descriptions due to how many steps were being listed in each turn.

Disclaimer: The Arthurian cards mentioned in this chapter are a creation of Linkin-Phoenix with the assistance of members of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Card Guide.

* * *

Chapter 36: Ruins and Revenge Part II

Rebecca blinked, staring down Nick who had just challenged her to a duel. "I don't have..." Almost immediately Nick threw her a duel disk he had delivered earlier. She smiled. "What are the stakes?"

Nick put the duel disk on his arm and activated it, returning his gaze to Rebecca. "If I win, you leave, forever. You never come back here or to Domino ever again. You never try to contact Yugi ever again. You become persona non-grata."

The blonde scowled. "If I win?"

"Simple, you get what you've always wanted; you get Yugi, no if's, ands or buts. We will no longer interfere or discourage him from pursuing a relationship with you. We won't stop you from having him."

Rebecca grinned ear to ear. "Deal!"

Horus growled at Nick's statement, knowing the big risk involved in the duel. "Mortal, if you lose this duel, I will personally arrange a special place in hell for you to suffer when you die."

Nick snorted a laugh. "Trust me Horus, there already is."

***Duel Start***

**Rebecca Hawkins Life Points: 8000**

**Nicholas King Life Points: 8000**

***Rebecca***

"I draw;

1. I summon a monster in defence mode;

2. I play two cards face down and end my turn.

***Nick***

Nick breathed out, this was his first real duel in years, the last time he had duelled for real was two years ago against Yugi and he'd lost. This didn't inspire confidence.

"I draw;

1. I summon The Knight – Gawain (Light/Warrior/4 ATK/1700 DEF/1500) in attack mode;

2. I play two cards face down and end my turn."

Sephora raised an eyebrow. "I've never heard of that card before."

Mai smiled. "There's no reason you should have, hon. They were cards specifically constructed for Nick by Pegasus after he became world champion. He has the only set in existence. He's never used them in a duel before, well, not a public duel."

Rebecca glared. "This isn't fair. How am I supposed to fight cards I've never heard of?"

"Adapt," Nick said.

***Rebecca***

"Fine, I draw;

1. I play one card face down in defence mode;

2. I end my turn."

***Nick***

Nick watched the field carefully. "Hm, I draw;

1. I summon The Knight – Bors (Light/Warrior/Effect/4 ATK/1600 DEF/1200) in attack mode;

2. When Bors is summoned in attack mode I can add one Knight monster from my deck to my hand with less than 1500 attack points;

3. Now, Bors, attack Rebecca's face down monster on the left;

4. Gawain attack!"

Nick's cards carved through Rebecca's defensive monsters, but this didn't seem to bother the blonde. On the contrary she laughed. "Idiot! You fell into my trap! Behold Giant Rat;

1. When Giant Rat is destroyed I can special summon an Earth Attribute monster from my deck with an attack of less than 1500 attack points;

2. I summon Millennium Shield (Earth/Warrior/5 ATK/0 DEF/3000) in attack mode."

***Rebecca***

"My turn! I draw;

1. I switch Millennium Shield into defence mode;

2. I also add Ring of Magnetism (Equip/Spell) to stop you from attacking any other card other than Millennium Shield;

3. I play Cost Down (Spell) and discard a card from my hand to reduce the level of monsters in my hand by two stars until the end of my turn;

4. I summon Shadow Ghoul (Dark/Fiend/Effect/5 ATK/1600 DEF/1800) in attack mode;

5. When Shadow Ghoul is on the field, its attack increases 100 points for every monster in my graveyard, which is three (ATK/1900);

6. My sweet Shadow Ghoul, get rid of Bors for me, would you!"

Shadow Ghoul's attack destroyed The Knight – Bors.

**Rebecca Hawkins LP: 8000**

**Nicholas King LP: 7700**

***Nick***

Nick frowned. "Ok, I summon a card face down in defence mode."

***Rebecca***

"I draw;

1. I summon Witch of the Black Forest (Dark/Spellcaster/Effect/4 ATK/1200 DEF/1100) in defence mode;

2. Shadow Ghoul attack Gawain!"

Shadow Ghoul's attack destroyed The Knight – Gawain.

**Rebecca Hawkins LP: 8000**

**Nicholas King LP: 7500**

***Nick***

Nick frowned down at his cards, drawing a new card which didn't make him any happier. "Ok, I draw;

1. I summon a monster in defence mode;

2. I end my turn."

***Rebecca***

"Awe, what's wrong, is the big bad world champion rusty? I draw;

1. I sacrifice Witch of the Black Forest to summon Cannon Soldier Mk-2 (Earth/Machine/Effect/5 ATK/1900 DEF/1200) in attack mode;

2. I play Stray Lamb (Spell) to summon two Lamb Tokens (Earth/Beast/1 ATK/0 DEF/0) in defence mode;

3. I sacrifice the Lamb Tokens as ammo for Cannon Soldier Mk-2 to inflict 1500 points of direct damage to you;

4. Shadow Ghoul attack!"

Shadow Ghoul's attack destroyed Future Knight.

Nick crossed his arms over his face as he was pummelled by Cannon Soldier's attack. His jacket smoked as he moved his hands away, glaring a hole through Rebecca who had a wide smirk on her face.

**Rebecca Hawkins LP: 8000**

**Nicholas King LP: 5000**

***Nick***

"I draw;

1. I end my turn."

Mai growled, unsatisfied with the lack of skill Nick was putting into the duel. "Nick, what the hell are you doing?"

"I'm trying Mai; I can't get the cards I want!"

***Rebecca***

"Aww, isn't that awful? I draw;

1. I summon Scapegoat (Spell) to summon Sheep Tokens (Earth/Beast/Token/1 ATK/0 DEF/0) in defence mode;

2. I sacrifice all four of my Sheep Tokens to inflict 3000 points of direct damage to your life points!"

**Rebecca Hawkins LP: 8000**

**Nicholas King LP: 2000**

Nick stood with his fists clenched, looking visibly shaken by his lack of success in putting even a minor dent in Rebecca's life points. He ran his fingers through his hair, desperately trying to figure his way out of the situation. "What's wrong with me..." He whispered desperately.

_"A true duellist wouldn't let anything hold him back."_

"What?" Nick asked, his head snapping back as he realized he was no longer in the backyard. He was now staring into an empty void, a world drained of light and joy. Nick rubbed his eyes and looked again only to still find himself in the void. "Uh... so not Vegas."

_"Do not be afraid mortal, your physical body is still in New York, but your mind has been drawn into your soul room."_

Nick blinked again. "You'd think there would be more lights on."

_"Your soul room reflects the darkness that has gripped your soul, the self-hatred that you've allowed to overwhelm your spirit. You blame yourself for the loss of the woman you love and you hide your feelings from those who would help you cope. This situation has led you to this point in your life. You gambled your friend's future, believing you can defeat the spy and banish her. However, your own doubts and fears have left you inadequate for the task at hand."_

Nick scowled. "Why shouldn't I blame myself for what's happened to Téa? It's my fault."

_"Is it?"_ The voice asked, a gentle light pierced the darkness and a tall woman with long red hair, dressed in tight fitting robes emerged. Her long, elegant wings spread to their full span as she locked her azure eyes on Nick. _"You have no true knowledge of what made your love turn against you, you only have what she and your enemies want you to believe. I have been inside both your minds, the bond of love is strong enough to allow me to. You have fought and broken up, you've both said things you've later regretted and you have both spent time in the arms of others in the six years since the Dark Crisis. But the love you both share, the love that produced a child that grows strong in the belly of your fiancée has never dimmed. It has been threatened at times but it was never in danger of being extinguished."_ Bastet placed a gentle hand on Nick's shoulder. _"There is a price for Téa's betrayal, but it is not the love you two share. I have seen the future and I know that soon you will be reunited, that your bond of love will be enough to even overcome death itself. For now though, you must let go of your fear. Let go of your anger, it is holding you back from being the man Téa needs you to be. Release your burden, and the road to victory and the one you love will be open to you again."_

Bastet stood in front of Nick, stroking his cheek as several tears rolled down his face. She smiled, wiping his tears and resting her forehead against his. _"Release your burden to me and let go."_

Nick nodded as best he could with Bastet's head resting against his. She continued to smile, gently pressing her lips against his as the room glowed brightly. Nick opened his eyes and found Bastet had gone and Téa now stood in her place. This wasn't the artifice that controlled Téa's body; this was the real thing, his love and the mother of his child. She wrapped her arms around him, capturing his lips in a passionate and powerful kiss.

The few moments of bliss they shared were broken by Téa as she released his lips and smiled. "There's plenty of time for us to make out later. Go out there and kick that little blonde witch's butt, then come and save me, Mr. Hero."

Nick blushed, recalling the last time Téa had called him that. A time when Téa and Yugi were still dating and Shadow Phoenix was on the loose, trying his damndest to kill them. He could still remember the smell of smoke, the weight of the overturned couch and the sound of helicopter gunships hovering outside. Even dead, the feeling of Téa's perfectly curved body had a positive effect on his body.

Nick smiled. "Yes ma'am."

Téa's eyebrow twitched as the soul room faded. "Ma'am! I'll so get you for that Nicholas King. Come back here, we are not finished!"

Nick opened his eyes to find himself back to the duel. He smiled at Rebecca, exhaling and stretching his arms. Mai blinked a couple of times, trying to figure out how from a few moments ago Nick's demeanour had completely changed. It looked like he had completely shrugged off the huge weight that had been keeping him held down since Téa was kidnapped by the Millennium Guardians.

He looked Rebecca square in the face and smiled again. "Well, that was a good warm up Rebecca, how about we get down to business."

Looking at both their current Life Points, Rebecca stifled a laugh. "You're about to lose."

Nick continued smiling. "I see it differently, you've got a one track mind, girl, and that's your failing. Your deck is completely built around two pillars: Shadow Ghoul and Cannon Soldier Mk-2. Once your defences are in place you summon your two key monsters and set them to work. Cannon Soldier feeds Shadow Ghoul and both destroy your opponent's life points. Take one away, the other suffers, take both away and you have nothing but Millennium Shield to defend you and soon you won't even have that."

Rebecca grinned but was visibly alarmed at Nick's sudden change in demeanour. "Just try!"

***Nick***

"Ok then, I draw;

1. I flip Lady of the Lake (Water/Spellcaster/Effect/4 ATK/900 DEF/1900) into face up defence position;

2. When Lady of the Lake is flipped face up I can add The Sword of Legend – Excalibur to my hand from my deck. My deck is then shuffled;

3. I summon The Knight – Kai (Light/Warrior/Tuner/Effect/2 ATK/400 DEF/900) in attack mode;

4. That allows me to activate Siege Perilous (Spell) when I sacrifice a Knight monster on my side of the field. Siege Perilous allows me to draw two cards from my deck, now I can summon a level 4 or Lower Knight monster to my side of the field;

5. Future Knight (Light/Warrior/Effect/3 ATK/1000 DEF/1000) come forth;

6. My final card is Monster Reborn (Spell) to summon another Future Knight in attack mode..."

Rebecca shook her head, unimpressed by the moves he was making. "That's it? That's your big plan, two monsters with a thousand attack points each."

Nick laughed, cutting Rebecca off. "I said Monster Reborn was my final card. I meant from my hand, I'm not nearly done."

7. "Now, as I was saying, now that Future Knights are on my field I can activate their special abilities to send them to the graveyard to special summon;

8. The Knight – Sir Bedivere (Light/Warrior/Effect/6 ATK/2300 DEF/1800) in attack mode;

9. And The Knight – Sir Percival (Light/Warrior/Effect/6 ATK/2200 DEF/1600) in attack mode;

10. When Sir Bedivere is special summoned to the field its attack is increased by its original attack until the end of this turn (ATK/4600);

11. Sir Bedivere attack Millennium Shield;

12. His effect sends Sir Bedivere to the graveyard at the end of the turn his effect is used;

13. Sir Percival attack Cannon Soldier Mk-2;

14. When Sir Percival destroys a monster in battle it can attack once again in a row. Sir Percival, rid the field of Shadow Ghoul!"

Sir Bedivere's attack destroyed Millennium Shield; Sir Percival's attacks destroyed Cannon Soldier Mk-2 and Shadow Ghoul.

**Rebecca Hawkins LP: 7600**

**Nicholas King LP: 2000**

Rebecca fell to her knees in shock at the utter destruction of her strategy she had spent all that time building her defences. She was sure she'd anticipated everything, she was sure she was going to win but in one turn Nick had completely ruined it.

Nick crossed his arms, staring down the blonde. "Your strategy relies on getting monsters into the graveyard to fuel the engine of your deck, Shadow Ghoul. Yugi tried to teach you a lesson about friendship once by stopping himself from using Soul Release to win. Unfortunately for you, I'm not Yugi. I've had enough of you, your lies and your spying on us for the Millennium Guardians. All you do is cause others pain and suffering, that ends today. Today is the day you get you comeuppance. Today is the day you answer for everything you've ever done to harm my friends."

Rebecca slowly rose to her feet. A gleam of insanity shone in her eyes. "You can try but when this is over Little Wugi will be mine again."

Horus squeezed his eyes shut, turning to Mai. "Did she...?"

Mai nodded. "Yes, she just called him... Wugi."

* * *

Meanwhile, Wugi... sorry, Yugi was peeking out from the entrance to the Icarus ruins at the situation above as the Trinity helicarrier hovered ominously above them. He crawled back inside the entrance where Mars and Neptune were waiting for him. "Are you sure it's Pluto and Yukai?"

Neptune gave him a condescending look. "Of course I'm sure. Do you think I wouldn't recognise my brothers if I saw them?"

Mars frowned. "I am deeply concerned by the fact they're on board a helicarrier, the Trinity are supposed to be loyal to us."

"Looks like they've changed sides." Neptune observed disdainfully.

"It could be one rogue ship; it doesn't mean they've all turned against us." Yugi pointed out, trying to sound as confident as his words were. Neptune and Mars returned his look with scepticism. Yugi sighed. "Whatever's happening we have to get out of here first with the prophecy."

"How do we do that?" Jupiter asked, joining them. "As soon as we summon a warp tunnel, they'll bring all of their guns to bear on us."

"One helicarrier has enough firepower to destroy this entire mountain range." Mars reported grimly.

"Then why haven't they?" Yugi asked, sensing the answer.

"Because you're here Yugi, they can't destroy the mountain without killing you and they need Ra alive to revive Apophis." Jupiter answered.

Yugi sighed again. "Yeah, I was afraid you'd say that." He walked past the Guardians back into the main chamber to stand in front of the tablet. He crossed his arms and paced for a minute or two, looking at each individual member of his group. After taking time to consider them individually, his eyes came to rest on Serenity's rear.

Serenity followed his eye line and blushed a deep shade of crimson realizing where he was staring. She covered her cheeks with both hands, screwing up her nose at him. "Yugi, you can stare at my butt all you want when we're alone, but we're in public."

Snapping out of his dirty fantasy to realize why he'd been staring at her butt, Yugi blushed. "S-Sorry Serenity, that wasn't why I was staring. Well you have a very nice butt... I _mean_, I mean... um... you have a camera in the back pocket of your pants, don't you?" He shifted his feet nervously, realizing how awkward their conversation went.

The girl blinked. She dug into her back pocket to locate her camera. "Sure, I carry it with me everywhere."

Yugi gently took the camera from her hands; her camera obsession a leftover mental scare from almost losing her eyesight. Serenity had an obsessive need to document everything just in case. Luckily she was an extremely good photographer, so good she had begun winning awards for it in Domino.

Walking back to the wall, he began photographing the different sections while moving a few centimetres at a time. After five minutes he was done, he turned back to the group and smiled. "Now we've got the evidence, let's get out of here!"

* * *

***Rebecca***

"I draw;

1. I summon Snipe Hunter (Dark/Fiend/Effect/4 ATK/1500 DEF/600) in attack mode;

2. When Snipe Hunter is on the field I can roll a die, if the result isn't 1 or 6 your monster is destroyed, go die roll!"

Nick smirked as the die roll stopped in front of Rebecca. "Six, looks like our luck has reversed."

Rebecca's eyes widened in fear. "I-I end my turn..."

***Nick***

"I draw;

1. I summon The Knight – Owain (Light/Warrior/Tuner/Effect/3 ATK/500 DEF/1200) in attack mode;

2. I tune Owain and the Lady of the Lake to Synchro summon The Knight – Sir Perdur (Light/Warrior/Synchro/Effect/7 ATK/1600 DEF/2700) in attack mode;

3. When Owain is tributed for a Synchro summoning of a Knight monster I can send one face down Spell or Trap card on your field to the graveyard;

4. Once per turn while Perdur is on the field I can destroy one face up monster card on your side of the field;

5. Now, I activate Crusade (Trap). Once per duel I can send one card in my hand to the graveyard to special summon as many Knight monsters with less than 1500 attack points to my side of the field until the end of my turn. All three of my Future Knights should do nicely;

6. Future Knights, Sir Perdur, Sir Percival, attack!"

Future Knights, Sir Perdur and Sir Percival's attacks inflicted 6800 points of direct damage to the opponent.

**Nicholas King LP: 2000**

**Rebecca Hawkins LP: 800**

Rebecca sunk to the ground in despair as the Future Knights disappeared. Her hands trembling, she could hardly take in the full extent of her possible defeat. Everything went according to plan and now all came tumbling down thanks to this one man.

Nick crossed his arms, waiting for her next move. "Surrender Rebecca, you can't win this. Walk away with what dignity you have left."

She looked up at him, glaring daggers through him. "Wugi's mine, you can't have him. That little red-headed slut can't have him nor can the brunette slut. He's mine!"

***Rebecca***

"I draw;

1. I play a monster face down and end my turn."

Nick eyed her card suspiciously. "That's cute."

***Nick***

"But I'm not falling for it, I draw;

1. I sacrifice Sir Perdur to summon the Knight – Lancelot (Light/Warrior/Effect/6 ATK/2400 DEF/2000) in attack mode;

2. When Lancelot is tribute summoned I can special summon Queen Guinevere (Light/Fairy/Effect/4 ATK/800 DEF/2000) in attack mode;

3. When Lancelot is on the field, Queen Guinevere can attack your life points directly. Go, Guinevere!"

Queen Guinevere's attack inflicted 800 points of direct damage to the opponent's life points.

**Nicholas King LP: 2000**

**Rebecca Hawkins LP: 0**

Rebecca sat on the ground, sobbing quietly as Nick walked to loom over her. He smiled. "So this is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper." He quoted as Rebecca looked up to glare at him.

"You won, so what? Hathor's still mine and Yugi's daughter, if he wants to see her he'll have to see me." Rebecca pointed out smugly, playing her last trump card in the event she was found out.

"Yeah, your daughter. About that..." Nick replied as he reached into his coat. He pulled out a piece of paper and tossed it at Rebecca's feet.

Rebecca gingerly picked up the paper as the others gathered around them. "What's this?"

Nick smirked. "Why don't you have a peek and see."

* * *

Jupiter raised her hand. "Um, Yugi that's a great plan but we're inside, we can't summon a warp tunnel inside things."

Yugi blinked. "Of course you can, I've seen you do it before."

"You've seen the Millennium Guardians do it before, the remaining Guardians have tight restrictions on our powers. We can only summon a warp tunnel in clear air, otherwise it's just too dangerous. Anything could happen, including the death of all the people inside the warp tunnel when it closes." Neptune explained.

"Great..." Yugi groaned, sitting on the ground.

Jupiter paced in front of Yugi but stopped suddenly when an idea hit. "What if we summoned a warp tunnel, like, right in front of the entrance to the ruins? If we did that, we could all run out and get through to the other side before the helicarrier has time to fire."

Mars came over to them, overhearing Jupiter's plan. "Could it work?"

"Only if the last person through was one of us. They could close it before the helicarrier fires. But it still carries risk." Neptune replied.

Yugi stood and approached his fellow Guardians. "No one gets anywhere in life avoiding risk. Do it." He ordered with authority. Mars and Neptune looked at each other and nodded, walking towards the entrance to the ruins.

Serenity walked over, slipping her arms over his shoulders. "Yugi-kun, have I ever told you how sexy you are when you're ordering people around?"

Yugi turned completely crimson as he led Serenity, an embarrassed Jupiter, a blushing Ryou, Bakura, Kaiba and Selene back to the entrance. Mars and Neptune looked back towards Yugi as if asking permission to which he nodded. He looked back to the others. "Once the warp tunnel is open, don't hesitate_—_we've only got one shot, if you're still here when it closes you're dead."

Looking down on the area, Lucifer's eyebrow arched as he saw the flickering light of a warp tunnel. He growled, grabbing the communicator off his brother. "Fire, you half-wit! Fire now!"

Suddenly all cannons on the helicarrier began to charge. Seconds later they began firing, completely levelling the area below them and burying the Icarus ruins in rubble for the second time in several millennia.

* * *

Picking the piece of paper off the ground, Rebecca unfolded it slowly. She tried to pretend but the shock was obvious on her face.

For those who couldn't see, Nick decided to narrate the situation. "I had someone from the Manhattan office of one of our papers do some digging through public records for Hathor's birth certificate. When I was told that Hathor was Yugi's daughter I believed it immediately, but the way you and Hathor act towards each other doesn't ring true of a mother-daughter relationship."

Rebecca looked up from the birth certificate, already falling into denial. She felt like saying something to defend herself, but no words were uttered. Completely immobilized, she could only stare horrified as Nick continued.

"So I had it checked for a child of mixed heritage named Hathor Mutou; at first nothing was found. But searching by the surname alone my friend found something interesting: a child named Mizuki Mutou born six years ago."

Mai raised her eyebrow. "Mizuki means beauty and..."

"Moon. It's apt for the child of Yugi and Artemis, I think." Nick finished.

The Guardians exchanged shocked looks amongst themselves. Even Horus was completely stunned by this new development. "Mortal, are you saying that girl is..."

"Your granddaughter, yes. Rebecca Hawkins has never been pregnant, she never visited an OBGYN in the correct time frame." He cast a disgusted look down at Rebecca. "You're a fraud and liar, worse you're a con-artist and not a very good one."

The group parted, allowing Rebecca a path out. She saw her opportunity to run before she was set upon by every person she had angered during her time among them. Rebecca ran for her life, sprinting through the house and out the front door before a comment could be made by the people inside.

Mai looked at Nick with a small smile on her face. "Remind me to never hide something from you."

Nick shrugged. "I'm in the information business. It's my job to know the stuff other people don't want the public to know and report it. This was easy, try investigating what the ingredients of a meat pie are, that's tough."

Sephora rolled her eyes, turning around. "The question we should be asking is, if she was Artemis and Yugi's child, how did Hathor, err, Mizuki..."

"At a guess I'd say Hathor is Mizuki's Guardian name. It never came up on any documentation my people could find." Nick interjected.

"Whatever, how did she end up with Rebecca?" Sephora asked urgently.

A warp tunnel suddenly opened behind them with Yugi's team emerging from it in a gang tackle, followed by an explosion of shrapnel that was cast aside by Horus before it harmed any of them. The gang looked down at Yugi and the others curiously until Nick looked up. "Well, Yugi's here now, we can ask him ourselves."

Yugi blinked, picking himself up. "Ask me what?"


	37. Ever So Changing

Chapter 37: Ever So Changing

"_You will encounter a wall of darkness, and the wrath of the underworld. These will help you."_

- Silent Hill quote

Yugi blinked, picking himself up. "Ask me what?"

Horus and Nick looked between each other for a moment, weighing the decision to confront him as the rest of the group emerged from the warp tunnel.

Nick picked the discarded birth certificate off the ground. "Ask you about this?"

Yugi blinked, taking the paper from Nick's fingers, unfolding it tentatively. He paused in shock, unlike Rebecca Yugi didn't choose to hide his surprise from the others. He squared his jaw, looking up at Nick. "Where did you get this?"

"I had one of the reporters from my New York office dig into Rebecca's past. I had enough of her; it was time for the truth to come out."

Yugi pulled himself to his feet, casting a glare towards Nick. "Oh really, who the hell are you to decide that?" He asked, the tempo of his voice rising steadily.

Nick watched him evenly. "I don't let people blackmail my friends. You can be as pissed as you like, Yugi, I'm not going to apologise. Frankly I should be angry at you."

Yugi laughed despite himself. "Why?"

Nick's stare turned dark. "That _woman_ had been using Artemis's offspring as leverage to keep you in a relationship you didn't want. I'm the head of a multi-billion dollar corporation. There's very little happening on the planet I don't know about and if I don't know about it I can find out with one phone call. In six years you didn't consider once picking up the phone to ring Téa or I to ask for help."

"Or call me." Kaiba retorted from behind, indignantly having taken the birth certificate from Yugi's hand. He carefully scrutinized the paper to check its authenticity.

"Don't forget me, hon, Joey, Serenity and I love you and you didn't even tell us. How do you think that makes us feel?" Mai added, letting pent up frustration for having to put up with Rebecca lately.

The group looked up and agreed between each other to accompany Yugi inside. As Sephora motioned to the door, Serenity tapped her shoulder and handed her the camera containing pictures from the Icarus ruins. The Guardian accepted the device and proceeded to locate Jupiter to get the photos developed.

Meanwhile Yugi smiled, leading them towards the house hoping to escape to his room before he was interrogated further. However, before he could put that plan into effect he felt two strong hands grip his shoulders, one belonging to Nick and the other to Kaiba. They marched him into the family room, forcing him to sit as the rest of the group entered the house.

Horus walked in last, choosing to stand in front of Yugi. He unfolded his arms, looking down at his granddaughter's father. "How did my granddaughter end up with that girl?"

Yugi looked at his two male friends expecting them to step in between Horus and himself, but neither Nick nor Kaiba were willing to intervene. He looked up into Horus's eyes angrily. "Ask your daughter, she's the one who didn't tell me she was pregnant. Artemis was the one who ran away. Maybe if her father had been around to raise her, we wouldn't be standing on the edge of the end of the world right now!"

The room was silent but tense as Horus and Yugi stared each other down. Horus pursed his lips and looked away frowning. "Perhaps, but then you should know better than to repeat my mistake and leave your daughter with someone who should never have had children in the first place."

Yugi nodded. "You're right, Horus... sorry." He replied, extending his hand. Horus considered Yugi's hand for a moment before grasping it. "I cannot begrudge the man who speaks only the truth."

"But, how did Hathor end up with Rebecca?" Serenity asked.

Horus walked back over to stand beside Selene while Yugi shrugged. "I don't know, I honestly don't. Whenever I asked Rebecca about why she never came until now to tell me about Hathor, she quickly changed the subject."

After a few moments of silence Jupiter entered the room, trailed by Kiki, Mokuba and Koji carrying a pile of printouts. Kiki stopped in front of Yugi but he directed her to Nick who took the paper, turning it around in his hands.

"Latin?" He questioned.

Yugi nodded. "The photos I took of the tablet in the Icarus ruins, I thought you might be able to translate it for us?"

The room went quiet again as Nick flicked through the pile of paper. He frowned, looking up into Yugi's eyes. "No guarantees, Yugi, this is a variation of Latin I don't recognise. I'm going to need help."

"Whatever you need."

"I'm going to need a place to work, a big wall-sized sheet of butcher's paper, a new set of printouts with date and time stamps so I can put these in some sort of order. I also need to make a phone call and above all else some peace and quiet to work."

At this point Kisara rose from her seat. "Could you use some assistance? I have experience with Latin and I'm good with books."

Nick pondered her offer for a second before nodding. "Sure, I could use another pair of eyes."

As Nick and Kisara left the room with Jupiter to seek a place to work, Kaiba stepped forward. "Yugi, there's something Venus and I haven't been completely... forthcoming about."

Kaiba led everyone left from the dining room around the backyard to the infirmary. He didn't know how well Yugi and the others would react to the surprise he had waiting for them there. From the corner of his eye, he could see the confusion on their faces as they reached a certain room.

Surrounding one of the examination tables, Yugi scowled. "Kaiba, you have a lot to learn about sharing."

Laying on the table was the Pluto Kaiba had brought back from his trip to the Underworld. The Guardian remained still, having not yet awoken. After being examined by Venus, she confirmed he was in worst shape judging from his unusually pale skin and rather thin form as if he hadn't eaten in a long time. Upon a closer inspection she discovered a large gash where his heart was located that hadn't healed when he was first brought in and had now become a fading scar.

Neptune and Mars exchanged concerned looks, worried by the current condition of their leader. To them Pluto had already appeared dead.

Yugi studied the body as a thought crossed his mind. "Wait, Mars you said..."

Mars nodded. "Pluto was with Yukai aboard the Trinity helicarrier."

Horus sighed. "You were not mistaken, Mars, it was indeed Pluto, or a portion of soul." Everyone turned their gaze to him. "In the Underworld Seto Kaiba was being choked to death by Pluto and Kisara was unable to save him. The power of the Soul Sphere compelled the girl to throw it at them. In that instant your life, Seto Kaiba, was saved but that is not all that happened."

With his eyes drawn to the Holy Guardian, Kaiba remained calm despite the predicament he was put through in the Underworld. After all, he already experienced such life and death situations running his stepfather's company. He knew the risks—this one would be no different. The promise he made to Pluto was still fresh in his mind.

Horus looked down Pluto's unconscious body. "The moment the Soul Sphere made contact with Pluto, it exploded separating Pluto from the original Guardian of Darkness, Lucifer. In western human religion he is also known as Satan."

Upon hearing Lucifer's name, Yugi shuddered. He had a feeling he_ knew_ this particular Guardian from his former life as Ra. That other half he had bestowed the powers of darkness and trusted to protect.

No one commented as Horus walked around the bed to stand beside Pluto, resting his hand on the unconscious Guardian's forehead. His body glowed as Pluto sprang back into consciousness with a deep breath, his eyes bludging out of their sockets.

Straining against the restraints for a moment, Pluto fell back against the bed wearily. He met the eyes of Horus and looked visibly disturbed. "You!"

"Yes, Pluto, all will be explained in time, tell me, what is your last clear memory?" Horus barked.

Pluto blinked. "My last..."

"Yes, boy, your last clear memory. Tell us!" Horus demanded.

Pluto became frustrated, struggling to piece together the fragments that were scattered in his mind. "I was... I was summoned by Artemis to a park on the edge of Gold City. I entered to find Yukai, Nidoki, Forseti and Orpheus lying on the ground. I went to check on Yukai when I felt a presence behind me. Then there was pain and darkness. My next memory is waking up here."

Kaiba quickly interjected with his own question. "What? You don't remember anything that happened in the Underworld?"

The Guardian of Darkness merely cast an unamused look. He reprocessed his thoughts before indulging Kaiba. "Oh yeah, I did help you back there. Good thing Artemis never caught wind of my plans."

"So it is true. Artemis murdered you, Yukai and the other Millennium Guardians," Horus said. His eyes immediately gazed at the scar on Pluto's open-robed chest.

The heart being the Guardian's weak point was an instant-kill, but Horus further questioned the possibility that Artemis had revived the Millennium Guardians as zombies. Shaking his head, it sounded like something from horror fiction.

"Why?" Pluto asked. Unfortunately he never found out the real reason Artemis was using them. He felt she had another motive to her plans.

Horus exhaled deeply. "To assume it was only to take control of their minds, to use them as puppets as she's done with the mortal girl, Téa, would be too simple an answer. Her mind has been corrupted, but it is not in the same way that your mind was corrupted, Pluto. I fear this corruption; this evil infesting my daughter has its roots buried deep in the past of the Guardians..."

Selene raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that, Horus?"

Her brother frowned. "An intuition, a 'gut feeling' as the mortals would say. I can attribute it to nothing more than that."

"Yeah, that's great, Horus. Can someone please get me out of these!" Pluto demanded, rattling the restraints holding his arms and legs.

Venus tried to release the restraints as Neptune and Mars laughed. She knew the two would regret their actions once Pluto cornered both alone. For now, she decided not to reprimand them, preferring to enjoy seeing them squirm.

Pluto glared at them. "What are the two stooges laughing about? Actually a better question would be where is the third stooge, no doubt banging his head into things and making stupid noises?"

Neptune returned Pluto's sour look. "If you must know he's busy fulfilling his duty as the leader of the Guardians trying to make sure that the rest of the Millennium Guardians don't succeed in killing the rest of us!"

His face became absolutely horrified. Being both the leader of the Genesis and the strongest Guardian, Pluto often came into conflict with Uranus who opposed him and was second in power. "Did I get demoted, since when?"

"Since Artemis, Yukai, you and the others disappeared. Someone had to step up and lead and Uranus was the next in line." Jupiter explained as Venus finally released the restraints holding him down.

Pluto scowled, swinging his legs over the side of the examination table. Standing, he noticed the body at the end of the infirmary. Walking passed everyone he paused at the curtain, peering in shocked. "The mortal... the Australian?" He asked, turning back towards the others.

"Not exactly." Venus answered. "That's Shadow Phoenix or rather his good side from time spent in the Pokémon world."

Everyone turned to look at Sephora who blushed. "It's a long story..." She wasn't in the best of moods to explain.

Pluto shrugged, not interested in whatever tale she had for them. "Then where are he and that girlfriend of his who follows him around like a lost puppy? Speaking of puppies, where is the Wheeler boy?"

Yugi frowned, displeased by Pluto's characterisation of Téa's love for Nick or his description of Joey. "Nick's inside working on a translation of a Latin text we recovered from a ruin on Animus. Téa is... and Joey..."

Serenity put her hand on Yugi's arm. "It's complicated, Pluto."

Pluto crossed his arms. Once again he cast an unamused look. "I don't seem to be going anywhere."

Horus crossed the group to stand in front of Yugi. "You have been gone for a significant amount of time, Pluto. A lot has happened, to this world and your own. You are weakened from your time spent unconscious. You need food and rest; only after you've had both will we indulge your questions."

Pluto opened his mouth to argue but Horus's harsh stare forced him to relent. He nodded and was led back into the house. Inside there was one last shock awaiting the tired Guardian, who out of physical weakness, had reverted to his mortal form of Zackary Ling, something he was sure he hadn't done in some time.

Coming around a corner carrying some books for Nick, Kiki's eyes almost burst from their sockets seeing her older brother enter the house. "Zack!"

Pluto was tackled to the ground by his little sister, cuddling his frame with unvarnished joy. Kiki was almost in tears rambling about how much she'd missed him and about all the things she wanted to tell him.

Just managing to sit up, Pluto's eyes were able to study the features of his now sixteen year old sister. He held her away from him, the stunned expression on his face quite evident to Kiki.

"Oh, what's wrong, big brother, don't you like how I've grown?" Kiki stared at him curiously.

Pluto rubbed his eyes as Kiki finally got off him. Walking into the room, Kaiba helped the shocked Guardian back to his feet. He made a mental note to have a private chat with Pluto concerning both their younger siblings' relationship.

"That's my sister?" Pluto's expression had a mix of confusion and happiness, watching as Kiki skipped off into the hallway.

"Yes, Pluto, that's your sister." Kaiba responded.

Pluto's eyes narrowed. "Kiki! Stay away from Mokuba!"

This order from her older brother produced a protracted "Ooooooh!" from a room deep within the house.

Pluto noticed Kaiba's curious look and decided to explain, "Well someone has to explain the birds and the bees to her. I hope you've done the talk with your brother."

Moments later a shoe came flying from the corridor, Pluto dodged it just barely. "Don't talk to them about me like that!" Kiki yelled, another shoe flying from the depths of the corridor at Pluto's head.

Unfortunately Nick had just turned a corner into the corridor as Kiki pelted the shoe at Pluto's head. Feeling it whack him in the back of the head Nick stood upright as the shoe fell to the ground. He blinked a couple of times before taking off the wire rimmed glasses he'd been wearing, looking Pluto dead in the eyes. "Pluto, would you care to explain to me why your sister is hurling shoes and yelling?"

Pluto tried to keep a straight face, trying to feign innocence. "I have no idea, mortal."

"Oh-kay." Nick responded, replacing his glasses and walking into another room. Everyone paused a moment as Nick backtracked now holding his sword. "Someone want to explain to me why Pluto is back in the building? Is this some Guardian family tradition we've not been told about. One free open day for the lunatic psychopath that's trying to kill us to roam free in the house?"

"Mortal!" Pluto yelled, exasperated at the aspersions on his character being cast by everyone in sight. So maybe he did go a little insane a few times, but he wasn't also known as the Bringer of Change for nothing. People were normally quick to blame him since death and chaos revolved around him.

Mai put a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. "I'll explain it to Nick. You go eat and rest."

Pluto exhaled and nodded gratefully. "Thank you, mo–Mai."

Mai raised an eyebrow. "You actually used my name; this day is full of miracles." She replied, leading Nick back into the lounge room where they were setting up the translation hub.

Kaiba shook his head. Why he ever decided to stick around these people was beyond him. Perhaps they were growing on him like the family he and Mokuba never had. "Miracles, what will they think of next?"


	38. Uninvited Guest

Author's Notes: Chapter title is taken from a track featured in the anime Tsubasa Chronicle. I just love Yuki Kajiura's music.

* * *

Chapter 38: Uninvited Guest

After a long night of relating the events of the past six years that Pluto had missed out on, Yugi collapsed into bed. Waking early the next morning he wandered downstairs to the smell of eggs and bacon being cooked. The breakfast table was ready but no one as of yet had decided to come down to wait for breakfast to be served. Pouring himself an orange juice, Yugi decided to wander forward deeper into the house to check on the translation of the Icarus text.

Turning a corner into the family room, his eyes widened with shock. Inside the window was shut, the blinds pulled and drawn, leaving the only source of light being two lamps: one diagonal to the other at separate ends of the room. On the back wall was the large piece of butcher's paper Nick had requested, the Icarus text blu-tacked on a few centimetres apart with blue marker scribbling around each photo. All pictures had lines leading out from the text to the butcher's paper with words in both Latin and English scribbled hurriedly on the paper. Occasionally the words had been crossed out and rewritten with a different English meaning.

Along the wall where the window sat closed was a three seater couch on which Kisara sat hunched over a dusty volume of Latin translations. Between the couch and the back wall was a large white board with even more blue marker covered in random Latin words, a lot of them had been crossed out or rubbed from the board entirely. Judging from his hands, Nick had used his palm rather than the cloth that was hanging over the stand on the right side of the board to erase mistakes.

Books were piled high on the floor around a leather captain's chair which Yugi guessed Nick occasionally sat in when he wasn't moving between the white board and the butcher's paper. Currently he was standing beside the white board engrossed in a Latin text, the words reflected slightly in his wire rim glasses. His lips were moving but barely a whisper was being uttered as he read over the text. His leather jacket had been put over the back of the chair while his sword was propped up against the sofa. His white shirt was now stained with smears and streaks of blue marker, the sleeves of the shirt had long ago become unbuttoned and rolled up; even the collar of his shirt was uneven.

Strangely, despite all the chaos and a long night cooped up with Kisara, studying Latin for a translation that in some minor way might help them win an almost unwinnable war against a vastly superior enemy, Yugi had never seen Nick so alive. He looked happy to be engrossed in trying to solve a millennia old puzzle. The only other time he'd ever seen Nick's eyes light up the way they were now was in the happy moments he had seen shared between he and Téa when they visited him in Domino a couple of years ago. This was just after they had become engaged and Nick and Téa had come to Domino to ask Yugi to be their best man, an honour he, of course, accepted on the spot. This was the first time since they'd lost Téa to Artemis's control that Nick looked genuinely happy. Yugi was happy his friend was finding joy in this; Nick deserved some considering what this experience was putting him through.

But there was another voice in Yugi's head; a weak voice that was getting slowly stronger that told him his friend didn't deserve happiness. How could Nick be happy with Téa when he had stolen her away from Yugi? Yugi and Téa had been in a relationship before Nick reappeared in their lives. Téa just left him to be with Nick, but they weren't the only ones to blame it wasn't like any of the others had tried to stop Téa from leaving him. He knew full well Joey had secret feelings for Téa he never acted on; he probably had been planning on acting when Nick and Téa's relationship failed, being the sweet best friend with a shoulder to cry on even though at that time he had Mai's affections.

Yugi grinned slightly. Mai was very beautiful, possibly the most beautiful woman even amongst the people he knew. He knew he'd need a wife to sire the new leaders of Animus, who better than Mai to sire those offspring with. Once he killed all his friends there would be no one left for Mai to turn to but Yugi, who she would serve and worship as a god of his new world.

Suddenly Yugi slammed his head back against the wall in the corridor, snapping him back to reality. His body shook in fear at the putrid, selfish, even lewd thoughts that had crossed his mind in moments before. He was shocked at himself, even a little scared. Something had changed inside him; he could feel it, something growing. He wanted to warn the others and try and rid himself of this darkness before it consumed him but even the thought of speaking to someone about it was suddenly being prohibited. The darkness spreading within him didn't have a lot of control. But it had enough.

Exhaling, Yugi reentered the family room as Nick and Kisara were conferring on a piece of text. "Morning."

Nick looked up over his wire rim glasses. "Oh hey Yug... Morning already?" He raised his arm in an L-shape to look at the upside down watch he was wearing on the inside of his wrist. "Eight AM already. We've been working all night." He muttered, picking up the book he'd been holding. He wrote something on the board and pointed it out for Kisara. "What about that translation?"

Kisara pursed her lips, grabbing a book from a pile next to her on the couch, flicking the pages until she came to the right chapter reference. She studied the text for several seconds, looking between the white board and the text. "It's closer, it makes more sense than the previous translation but it's just not there, not yet."

Nick sighed, flipping the white board over. On the other side of the white board were three columns labeled YES, NO and MAYBE with the MAYBE column the longest of the three. Nick turned back to Kisara. "Which one?"

Kisara studied the text for a few seconds more. "It's a maybe."

Yugi rubbed the back of his neck as Nick sighed, walking over and slumping in the captain's chair beside Yugi. "How's it going?"

Nick shrugged. "Slowly... I'm not certain if the person who wrote this was being deliberately obtuse or just plain old batshit crazy." His last remark earned him a withering look from Kisara which he ignored. "They have deliberately written this using a different variation of Latin for each word. We've got everything from classical to modern, hell we've got Pig Latin buried deep in this."

Yugi looked puzzled. "Have you asked Pluto?"

Nick yawned while rubbing one eye with his fingers. "He gave up after an hour, declaring the tablet gibberish. Frankly I think he knows more than he let on."

Yugi cast a side glance to Nick. "Intuition?"

Nick nodded. "Yes actually, but not mine. Rather it was Kisara's intuition."

Kisara looked up from the book, smiling. "He seemed visibly scared by the photos you took."

Yugi frowned. He was slightly disappointed that even Pluto's assistance wasn't getting them far. "Well that's something for later I guess. What have you learned so far?"

Nick snapped the book he was studying shut, rubbing his face quickly trying to revive himself. "Ok, it's not much but..." He was silent for a moment, studying the butcher's paper. "It's about you." Yugi looked Nick in the eyes. "Well ok, it's about Ra." He tapped a photo in the centre row. "This photo talks about Ra and... what did we agree?"

Kisara looked up. "Heart."

Nick scratched the back of his head. "Yugi, it's piece meal at this point at best. We know you're involved, something about the colour red and... Eternal something."

Yugi blinked. "Eternal something?"

Nick reached down, tapping the final photo. "Eternal... we're still debating what the correct translation is. I say darkness..."

Kisara raised her hand. "It's night."

"It's not!"

Kisara smiled. "It so is."

Nick blinked. "It _so_ is...? Stop hanging around Jupiter..." He responded, falling back into his captain's chair.

Yugi stood in front of the butcher's paper facsimile of the Icarus tablet for several minutes, studying the text and Kisara and Nick's work. He stood silently until he realized both Nick and Kisara had gone silent too. Turning around he smiled, Nick's head had dropped to sit against his shoulder, snoring quietly with one of the translation books open in his lap. Kisara had also fallen asleep and was slowly sliding down against the back cushion of the couch into a half-sitting half-laying position on the couch. Yugi slowly snuck out of the room, leaving the two to sleep.

Upstairs Joey Wheeler sat in half-darkness, watching the door to his room/cell from the far corner of the room. His eyes burned with anger at the way he'd been treated by his so-called friends. He had been relieved of his duties as a brother, knocked out and then locked in his room, being delivered meals by his self-proclaimed guards Nick and Kaiba. Joey knew he couldn't stay locked in this room, not if he wanted to stop Yugi getting his dirty, perverted hands on his sweet angel of a sister.

Joey knew how dangerous Yugi was but Serenity didn't seem to care, all she wanted was Yugi's love. Serenity didn't understand, she would never get it and would probably die in the attempt to convince him that he loved her more than Artemis. Joey wasn't going to let his sister be killed on a fool's mission to get Yugi to love her.

His eyes narrowed. "I can't... I won't. If Yugi has to die to keep my sister safe, so be it."

* * *

Artemis was meditating in one of the chambers that had become her room in the base of the Millennium Guardians. If it had a name Artemis was unfamiliar with it, the words and their meaning had been lost in the mists of time. Artemis did enjoy the peace though; the intense quietness of the place brought her joy and reinforced the reasons why she had to destroy Yugi and his friends.

The silence she so enjoyed was suddenly destroyed by Erebus and Lucifer bursting into her room. Artemis frowned, opening her left eye to stare at them. "What?"

"We have a problem and it's his fault." Erebus answered, pointing at Lucifer.

Lucifer's eyebrow twitched. "How is it my fault?"

Artemis groaned, lowering herself to the ground. She led them out of her room into the main chamber as Lucifer and Erebus continued to bicker. She stopped, suddenly spinning around on the spot. "Enough, both of you! Erebus, what happened?"

Erebus scowled, glaring at Lucifer. "We were too late at Icarus. They got away with the tablet."

"They did not get away with the tablet; they got away with photographs of the tablet. How were we supposed to know that blasted Wheeler girl had a camera?" Lucifer retorted angrily.

Artemis looked at Lucifer curiously. "How do we know this?"

Lucifer smirked. "I was able to peer into Pluto's mind while it was weakened. He saw the photos taped to a wall in New York."

"Can you still do it?" Artemis asked, intrigued to hear this information.

Lucifer shook his head. "Pluto is regaining his strength too quickly, his mind has become closed."

Artemis frowned. "We cannot let them translate that text. We cannot let them gain an advantage over us. Orpheus, Nidoki, Téa, Forseti, Atem!" Moments later four of the five entered the room. A moment after that Atem entered the room, casting a lewd smile towards Téa who looked away in disgust. "We're going to New York. Our objective is to destroy the house and any trace of the Icarus text. We still need Ra alive but everyone else is up for grabs."

"Not everyone." Téa protested, raising her knife. "Leave Nick to me, I'm going to be the one who kills him, the rest of you better stay out of my way."

Artemis smirked a little. "Fine, Nick is hands off as well. Shall we go home and start killing?"

* * *

New York was approaching sunset as Selene entered the lounge room-turned-translation hub. Nick and Kisara had been left to sleep for most of the day. They had risen earlier to eat and tried to return to work but only succeeded in falling asleep again.

Selene drifted seamlessly between the piles of books to stand before the back wall. Frowning, she read the text, effortlessly amazed by the amount of progress Nick and Kisara had made. When she had made the suggestion to go the Icarus ruins she was sure with the absences of the Millennium Guardians it would have been a dead end. Unfortunately she didn't count on Pluto returning to their side, yet he too seemed to be hindering the progress of the translation. Selene was aware with his presence; he had become a wild card—at any moment Pluto could change the situation to better suit his needs.

Looking back at the sleeping man they called Nick, whose parents she'd been surprised to learn were from Animus. During their strategy meeting when he quoted the Art of War, Selene was taken by surprise. She had seriously underestimated him and now tried hard as ever to be cautious. Her eyes turned their attention towards the other occupant in the room, Kisara. With her knowledge thanks to studying under Khepri, she was another factor to consider watching out for. Selene was intrigued to hear she was the reincarnation of the woman Kaiba's past life had known, convincing her that fate brought these two together.

Until this point Selene had wondered if these mortals would fit into their society. Animus was very different to Earth; it had evolved differently, there had been no Dark Age on her world. They were at least two centuries, if not more, advanced of Earth's technology. Racial discrimination wasn't a term that had ever been used amongst the citizens of Animus. The varying nationalities had long ago blended into the brotherhood of man; each distinctive aspect of each culture was celebrated rather than derided as it was on Earth. Even when there were differences, they were dealt with in a civilised manner in the forum of people where issues were tabled and discussed with everyone's view allowed to be heard.

Selene smiled at her idealistic view of her home world. It's true that life on Animus was not perfect; there had been times when factions of different humans had almost gone to war. But these conflicts had never been able to race; they were always about two things: money or political belief. That was why the Trinity existed to step in and stop conflicts before they began. For the most part it worked but the system could have been better. Yet with the constant infighting amongst the Guardians, Selene wondered whether it would ever be possible.

Selene paused at the photo she had intended to remove. She feared them learning of this place that not even Holy Guardians dared speak of. She feared Ra and his allies learning the Holy Guardians' deepest secret and source of greatest shame. She, however, couldn't go through with it; she knew how angry Horus would be. She knew it would cast their dirty secrets into the stark light of day but Selene knew if there was ever to be an end to the hateful cycle that had consumed her life and the lives of her children this information had to come to light. Selene's only hope as she walked away was that Ra and his friends used the information better than the Holy Guardians had.

As the sun disappeared below the horizon Pluto had found himself alone on the rooftop balcony. Leaning his back against the railing, he gazed up towards the darkening sky while the stars shone. He sighed contently, feeling at ease in his element. Long ago he embraced the night's tranquility and began studying the stars to read possible messages from other planets, maybe even alternate universes, which he referred to as star reading.

He dug into his jeans pocket to fish out a pack of cigarettes. Frowning, he realized he lacked a lighter but completely shrugged. He raised the palm of his right hand, and immediately it ignited a flame that he used to light his cigarette before extinguishing by closing the palm. A few puffs of smoke later Pluto remained in total silence.

That is, until the sound of footsteps interrupted it. Pluto turned in the sound's direction but noticed no one there. At least he thought when he peered down to meet Hathor. He put on a stunned expression, realizing how uncomfortable the girl might have felt in front of him. If it wasn't his intimidating appearance, it was Pluto's height that made Hathor look at him in an odd way. Out of all the Guardians, Pluto was much taller, staying close to Kaiba's height.

"Um…" Pluto could only stare in bewilderment. No one had told him about Hathor.

"Smoking's bad for you," Hathor said.

Dropping the cigarette on the ground, Pluto stomped on it to burn out the tiny flames. He snorted. "I'm immortal. Does it look like I should care about my health?"

Hathor shook her head. "So you must be my Uncle Pluto."

"What?"

The girl revealed a silver chain from under her shirt, a crescent moon pendant dangling on one end. "You're related to my mother, Princess Artemis, right? And you're Prince Pluto?"

Pluto nearly put himself in hysterics upon hearing those titles. He remembered both the Guardians and humans of Animus once referred to him, Artemis and Yukai by such titles, but that was before they were reincarnated.

Something else Hathor said bothered him. She definitely mentioned Artemis was her mother, and yet this stood out to him more. Pluto knew for a fact that Artemis had committed herself to a life of celibacy. No Guardian was able to make her break that vow.

Blinking, Pluto looked at Hathor's facial features. Her violet eyes gave him all the evidence he needed to know that Yugi was her father.

"Listen, kid, I'm normally not the bonding type," Pluto said. He tried making his way to the exit, except a small hand grabbed his arm.

"Is it because people are afraid of you?" came Hathor's response.

Pluto rubbed his fingers against his face. He took a seat on the floor as Hathor followed suit. "I suppose you've heard the less-than-stellar things about me? Be that as it may be, I do regret what I've done in the past. Just… the mortals always paint me as the bad guy."

His niece gently took his hand, observing it carefully. "You think you're a monster. Neither the mortals nor you have given each other the opportunity to know one another."

"They're not stupid." Pluto turned his attention to the sky. "They know a monster when they see it, especially one that spreads doom and chaos wherever it goes. I'm a walking disaster!"

A smile appeared on Hathor's face. "Then perhaps you need to change your outlook. No sense living in the past." She leaned on his side, planting a chaste kiss on his cheek. Soon after, Hathor left.

Placing a hand on the cheek, Pluto could only ponder what she meant. He could see the kindness Artemis possessed had been passed down to her daughter. One other thing remained on his mind.

"Unfortunately for us, the mortals will no longer need guidance. The Guardian line will cease to exist."

* * *

Nick was suddenly awoken by a violent shudder that rocked the entire house. Waking with a start, the book sitting on Nick's lap fell to the floor as he looked around the room, trying to compose his thoughts. "What in blazes!" He yelled, waking Kisara as well.

Kisara yawned as another shudder hit the house, making her fall from the couch she'd been asleep on moments before. Nick helped Kisara to her feet before walking to the window to peer out. A look of concern passed over Kisara's face. "What is happening, an earthquake?"

Nick frowned, shaking his head and leaping over the couch to get to his jacket and sword. "Kisara, do exactly as I say. Ok?" Kisara reluctantly nodded, allowing him to continue. "Get Kiki, Koji, Mokuba and Hathor in here to pull this all down and get it into boxes. Take the books you think you'll need and then pile them into the Mercedes out front." Nick handed Kisara the keys. "Mokuba will know how to drive. Tell him to take the five of you to the Carlstrom penthouse in Manhattan. Tell them I sent you, the password to the penthouse is obsidian—that will get you inside. Wait there for the rest of us. Noah!"

A flickering image of Noah Kaiba appeared in front of them. "Take a digital image of this room and then download yourself into the Carlstrom Industry servers you'll be safe there," Nick said.

The boy looked at him worriedly. He wanted to stay, knowing he was capable of projecting the means necessary to defend the house. But when the ground shook again, Noah reconsidered his decision in fear of his own safety. He hoped Jupiter would understand. "Thank you."

Nick smiled slightly. "Don't worry about it."

Kisara looked deeply concerned. "What's going on?" She hadn't noticed in the chaos that Nick pulled the Soul Sphere out from her pocket by its chain and quickly hid it tightly in his fist.

Nick led her out of the room as the four kids came running down the corridor. "Hey, you four, go with Kisara she'll explain what she needs. Keep your heads down." Nick ordered as he ran towards the back of the house with the Soul Sphere in tow.

Kisara looked deeply confused, turning between where Nick had run off to and the group before her.

Mokuba was fully aware of the situation they were in from watching the surveillance earlier. "All the Millennium Guardians, Téa and Atem have appeared; they started attacking the house—" His explanation was interrupted by the back door being blown in by Anhur. "Big brother thinks this could be it."

Kisara raised her eyebrow. "Could be what?"

Kiki jumped in. "Kaiba says they look ready for a fight to the death, he says this could be the final battle!" She yelled as another explosion rocked the house. The five looked out at the back of the house, worried if they'd ever see their friends and loved ones ever again.

Outside eight figures stood in the shadows, each intent to draw out blood in the upcoming battle. One in particular, Artemis, smiled wickedly as her eyes glowed red with murderous glee. She craved nothing more than staining her hands with Yugi's blood.


	39. The Soul Sacrifice Part I

The other Author's Note: If you fear that we're just going to wrap this up after ten chapters, there's a very telling line in this chapter from Erebus that explains everything. :)

* * *

Chapter 39: The Soul Sacrifice Part I

Yugi ran from the infirmary into the backyard, both hearing and feeling the explosions that had rocked the house and gasped in shock. Orpheus, Nidoki, Forseti, Téa, Atem, Artemis in her Sekhmet form, Lucifer in his Shesmu form and Erebus in his Anhur form were gathered in front of the house.

In the distance he could see Nick emerging from the back door as Sekhmet reared. Yugi's eyes widened. "Nick, hit the dirt!"

Nick dived just in time as Sekhmet's attack destroyed the backdoor of the house. Yugi ran to Nick's side as Anhur launched his own attack at the two. Nick grabbed Yugi in his arms, launching himself away from the explosion that consumed the spot they only moments before had occupied. Reaching into their respective jackets, the two duellists summoned their Neo Guardians, Bastet and Set respectively, as Horus, Selene, Kaiba, Jupiter, Mai, Serenity, Sephora, Kenji, Ryou, Mars and Neptune emerged from the house. Set and Bastet deflected some attacks as Yugi and Nick ran to join them.

"What are they doing?" Kaiba roared.

"I think they've worked out we have the Icarus text." Yugi responded, ducking as an attack of Anhur's hit the roof, causing shrapnel to rain down.

"What's the plan, Yugi?" Nick asked, drawing his sword.

Yugi paused for only a second. "Split up and attack, team up at your own discretion, use non-lethal force if possible. They're still our friends; I don't want to hurt them if we can."

The group nodded and broke up as Shesmu's attack destroyed the patch of ground they had been standing on. Yugi, Horus and Serenity ran towards Artemis as Set followed, being joined by Serenity's Neo Guardian, Ma'at.

Dodging Shesmu's attacks were Pluto, Kaiba and Mars as Kaiba summoned his Neo Guardian, Thoth. The Guardian Servant of Ammon immediately began launching attacks against the reincarnated evil of ancient times.

Pluto paused, sensing a huge wave of negative energy coming from Artemis's group. The force nearly stole his breath away while he felt his hands shaking in fear. Without realizing it, his body involuntarily stood back as his heartbeat raced.

Next to him, Mars saw how Pluto's eyes were twitching. He reached out his hand and rested it on the terrified-stricken Guardian's shoulders. "You alright?" he asked.

Shesmu's growl, sounding more like a bestial laugh, caught his attention. _"The fool knows you won't win. Just look at him, whimpering like a frightened dog!"_

Shaking his head, Pluto couldn't utter back a retort. It was uncharacteristic of him to show fear against his enemies, but the spike in negative energy shattered his confidence. He closed his eyes, which didn't help as he began hearing screams echoing in his head. These memories he thought he left buried and were now being dug up to torment him.

"Enough!" Kaiba yelled. "The only mutt around here is you! Once we're through with you, you'll be the one with his tail between his legs." He faced Pluto. "Pull yourself together! If you let them play mind games on you, then you'll never overcome your worst nightmares." Almost immediately he ordered Thoth to attack.

Summoning her new Ka Cosmo Queen to stand beside Atem's Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Téa smirked as Nick and Kenji approached. Their swords were drawn and Nick's Invader of Darkness had been joined by his other Ka the Magician of Black Chaos. "I can't say I'm completely disappointed, my former love, that you're not dead by your own hand yet. It allows me the pleasure of killing you myself."

Atem smirked. "It's about time you died, Nick. Once you're gone, Téa and I can be together without anyone to interfere."

Kenji smirked. "Like seriously? That may be your plan but I don't think anyone has informed the mortal."

Atem cast a side look towards Téa as a sour look passed over her face. Nick smirked. "It seems even though things change, some things stay the same. She still can't stand you."

Atem growled. "Enough, just die!"

As that battle began, Sephora and Selene towards their own with Erebus in his Anhur guise. The dragon attempted to draw its jaw into the form of a toothy smirk. _"__The two of you against me, please. Come back when you have the power to leave a scratch, killing the two of you isn't even fun."_

Sephora stopped short, her anger rising in her chest. "Yukai, this has gone far enough, it's over, come back to us?"

Anhur laughed. _"__Over? Oh my dear sweet Sephora, this has barely begun." _Flapping his wings, he took to the skies as the two women prepared themselves. _"Don't even bother trying to reach Yukai. He's no longer with us!"_

Jupiter skidded to a halt in front of a smirking Nidoki who was looking passed her to Mai. "Well, well, mortal, it seems we will finally be able to finish our fight from Elysium after all. Only this time you will not have the advantage of drawing on Selene's power. This time I am going to tear your heart out and show it to Yugi before he finally succumbs to the darkness!"

Mai scowled. "Don't count on it!"

Jupiter unsheathed her weapon, looking sadly at her sister and friend. "Nidoki, don't make us fight, you're not evil."

Nidoki laughed. She stuck out her arm, concentrating all her energy in the palm of her hand. "You do not know me at all, Jupiter. We are all evil. Even you, the sweet innocent child, are destined to join us. It is a pity that will never come to pass as I will rip your head from your shoulders in this battle!"

Meanwhile Orpheus was already deep in the middle of a fight with his sister and brother, Venus and Neptune. Dodging Venus's energy wave he rolled along the ground pulling up the grass to stop himself short of Neptune's attack. He kicked away his fellow Genesis Guardian and grabbed Venus by the throat, growling. "I'm going to make sure you don't survive this. Tonight is the night I spill the blood of a Guardian!"

A dagger materialised in his hand as his arm rose high in the air, but as he was about to plunge it into Venus's chest a Harpie claw ripped across his shoulder blades, sending his blood spurting into the freshly fallen snow. Orpheus screamed, dropping the dagger and Venus to the ground and then falling to his knees. He cast a death glare towards Mai who simply smirked.

Venus smiled gratefully at Mai before punching Orpheus in the face. "The only blood that will be spilled this night, Orpheus, will be yours!"

At the same time as Orpheus was trying to battle back against Venus and Neptune, Ryou and Bakura summoned their Ka Diabound to face off against the last of the Millennium Guardians Forseti who summoned his Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon Ka to defend him.

Bakura smirked, crossing his arms. "Really, please, I could defeat this jumped up metal lizard with my eyes closed."

Ryou frowned at Bakura's arrogance. "Don't be so hasty, we have no idea what this monster can do, we've never faced it before."

Bakura sighed. "Fine, be that way."

Ryou's eyes widened with shock as Bakura walked to lean against the wall of the house. "What are you doing?"

Bakura shrugged. "If you're so confident you can take care of the Guardian's monster. Go ahead. I'll just stand back here and bask in your winning glow."

"Oooh, why do you have to be this way when guests are around?" Ryou demanded sullenly.

Bakura smirked. "Because I'm me."

"You never do this when Marik's around, oh no you're all peaches and cream and 'can I get you anything Marik' just to impress his sister. That's right I said it!" Ryou yelled indignantly.

Yugi noticed the two bickering amongst each other in the distance. "Ah, Ryou?" He called out.

Bakura rolled his eyes. "It's not my fault you can't keep a man. I try and help and you just yell at me. I'm done helping you." To further prove his annoyance on the subject matter, he crossed his arms and turned his head away from Ryou.

"Oh right, and I suppose it's my fault you can't get laid. Two words: shower, breath mint." Ryou replied cattily.

"That's three words!"

"Ryou!" A group of voices yelled.

"What... oh..." Ryou answered only to stop mid-sentence as he realized he and Bakura's argument had quite literally stopped the fight dead. Every human and Guardian present had stopped mid-motion to watch Ryou and Bakura argue.

Sekhmet sighed deeply. While she was amused by their predicament, it was taking away precious killing time. She cleared her throat. _"Excuse me, are you quite done with your domestic now, would it be ok if we went back to trying to kill each other now?"_

Ryou blinked. "Would it matter if I said no?"

Sekhmet stared back incuriously. She took a few seconds to ponder her response almost as if she was reconsidering the battle at hand. _"No."_

Ryou shrugged. "It was worth a try."

Upstairs sitting stewing in his own darkness was the last remaining person in the house, Joseph Wheeler. Despite not being in the fighting himself, he could tell from the loud sounds heard from outside his window. He wasn't sure how but he could sense who the combatants were in the battle going on below. He knew his sister was amongst them working closely with the object of his hate, Yugi Mutou.

Deciding it was time to act, Joey rose from his sitting position against the wall. He ripped the door off the closet, smashing the glass in the previously sealed window and climbing out onto the roof. Standing beside the now broken roof Joey closed his eyes, taking a moment to breath in the fresh night air. He smiled darkly as his clothes morphed from his previous attire to a black version of his old school jacket, a white T-shirt, white slacks and sneakers. He felt another shudder run through the house and smirked, looking towards the battle. He turned on his heels and began strolling towards them.

He suddenly didn't care that much whether or not he was the one to kill Yugi, watching him die in front of his sister's eyes would be satisfaction enough. Stopping at the edge of the roof he smirked as he quickly deduced that despite their superior numbers his former friends were quickly losing the fight.

Surveying the battlefield, Joey immediately knew why. While Yugi and his friends held back the Millennium Guardians and their allies Téa and Atem and doing their hardest to avoid harming them, the killer instinct and bloodlust was pouring from the other group's bodies in waves. Joey found he was almost overwhelmed but at the same time intoxicated by the sensation. He wanted to go down there and start killing, the instinct was almost strong enough to overcome Joey's common sense but only almost.

Nick dived to the ground as Cosmo Queen's attack launched just as Invader of Darkness and Magician of Black Chaos had become occupied by Anhur. The ground exploded behind him, showering Nick in dust and grass. He growled as Kenji was thrown the ground beside him. Bastet withdrew from her battle with Atem's Sorcerer of Dark Magic to defend them.

Kenji growled. "Mortal, this is not working!"

Nick winced as his Spellcaster was glanced by a blow from Anhur. "If you've got any bright ideas, I'd love to hear them! Ahhhh!" Nick retorted before launching himself back into the fight against Atem and Téa.

Kenji scowled. In the back of his mind, it kept yelling at him to escape to ensure his own survival but another force told him to stay. The Guardian instinct to protect humans would always win over the other voice. "As the mortals say, screw it, who wants to live forever." He paused. "Apart from me, of course." He finished, joining Nick back in the fight.

Nearby on the battlefield Bakura had decided to join Ryou in the fight, finally deciding watching him die wouldn't be nearly as amusing as he'd thought it might be. Currently he was struggling to control Diabound as it wrestled with Foresti's Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, watching with deep concern as Diabound barely dodged the fire balls Red-Eyes was launching from its mouth. The fire collided with the house, causing further damage to the Victorian era structure.

Sekhmet reared angrily, glaring down at her former lover, his new partner and her father. She bristled at the idea of the father, who abandoned her to that hateful man, would now return to try and pull her into line. Sekhmet growled deeply. _"__How dare you show your face here... How dare you pretend to be my father now, after all these centuries you abandoned Apollo and I to that evil bastard. Do you want to see what he did to me? Do you!"_

Sekhmet startled the three by transforming from her Chaos Beast form back into a Guardian. Despite the fact they were involved in their own battles, Shesmu and Anhur's faces registered their own shock for the briefest moments before returning their attention back to the matter in hand.

Artemis stopped in front of Yugi, Serenity and Horus, pulling her blouse up just short of her chest, the scars of sins past was still evident on her torso. She scowled, watching as Horus looked away. "Don't you _dare_ look away. At least have the gumption to acknowledge your inadequacies as a parent. Acknowledge you weren't strong enough to be there when your daughter needed you to protect her from a bully who couldn't get over the fact his older brother had sired an heir to the throne that was _half-caste_."

Horus's eyes narrowed. "I was dead, my daughter, I was not to know..." He honestly wanted to turn back the hands of time, before the fight he had with Apophis which ultimately led to his death. Selene had given up her remaining life energy to Horus to extend his life and witness his twin's birth, but it wouldn't last long as it only delayed his fate. He remembered holding both his son and daughter in his arms, shedding tears that he would never be able to raise them as their father.

Artemis's eyes widened. "_Not to know_, he was your brother! The man practically spat anti-human bile on a daily basis. He believed he could beat the human DNA from my _body_. I can hear my mother's screams, begging Skyros to stop beating me! How could you leave us, Father? How could you abandon us to that monster! I loved you! How could you do that!" Artemis screamed as, for a moment, the artifice slipped and the real Artemis appeared. She managed to pour out every ounce of hate she held during the time Skyros was alive.

Without thinking Serenity ran towards Artemis who had sunk to the ground in a crying fit, still begging Horus for an answer. Horus stood gaping in silence, his shock and disgust palpable even from the distance Yugi was standing to him. Serenity whispered to Artemis, trying to reassure her that things would be fine, but Yugi could sense the evil inside Artemis rapidly regaining strength. He sensed it barely a moment before Serenity did; Artemis clenched her fist, casting an energy wave out from her body, trying to kill everything in range, namely Serenity.

Unfortunately for Artemis, Yugi had realized as well. He pulled Serenity down and out of the way. The two blushed, finding themselves the awkward position of having Yugi now hovering over Serenity's body. Serenity smiled gently, taking a moment to stroke his face. "Thank you."

Before Yugi could say anything in response a massive fireball detonated beside them, throwing Yugi to the side away from Serenity and tearing a burning hole in his shirt. Yugi shrieked in pain, shivering slightly as the peak of pain passed. Yugi pushed himself to his feet, gasping for breath and looking around for the source of the attack as Serenity ran to his side.

He heard an alarming growl from the darkness. "Get away from her!"

A roar preceded another fireball, this time both Serenity and Yugi were able to dive out the way. Finding his feet again, Yugi rounded on the source of the attacks. Terror froze him in place, his eyes widening over what he saw coming their way. "Joey!"

An arrogant chuckle proceeded Joey's emergence into the light. The dark aura invading his body had turned the whites of his eyes black, the iris turning white in contrast. He glared down at Yugi. Every passing moment he looked at his former best friend fuelled his hate even more.

Téa smirked, looking away from her battle against Nick and Kenji to smile seductively. "Finally, a real man has stepped up. Kill him, Joey, make it hurt!"

Joey gave her a wink to which she blushed, turning his attention back to Yugi. "I tried... but you wouldn't listen, neither of you would." He growled as Serenity ran up to Yugi's side as he unconsciously slipped his arm around her waist. Joey shook with anger at both their actions. "Fine. If neither of you will listen, then I have no choice... you both must die."

"Joey! Why are you doing this, what's gotten into you?" Serenity pleaded. She began trembling, overlooking the monster that was once her older brother and then turned her attention to Artemis who was all too thrilled to see Joey in his current state.

Joey glared at his sister. "You ask a question you already know the answer to, you disobedient little brat. I told you to stay away from Yugi, I told you he was dangerous... I told you..." Joey started shaking, even worse the darkness feeding on his anger. "You're mine, you bitch, you understand! You can never belong to anyone else but me! No one else but _me_!"

His Red-Eyes reared for another attack which collided with a seeming wall of monsters. Instead of looking at the burning ashes of his best friend and sister, Joey stared into the faces of three Neo Guardians, Set, Ma'at and Bastet. Bastet was partly there because Nick had ordered her to defend Yugi and Serenity and partly because of the legends that Bastet protected those with a strong bond of love. Joey roared in anger, glaring at Nick who ignored him and continuing to battle with Téa and Atem.

"Will I never get any satisfaction?" Joey demanded angrily.

Yugi smirked. "I think the Rolling Stones have answered that one for you, Joey!"

At that remark the darkness inside Joey peaked, the aura extended from his body to his monster, making it shriek in pain as it was forcibly sacrificed to summon a new dark monster from Joey's memory. Both Yugi and Kaiba gasped in shock, setting their eyes on the monster Joey had summoned. The Five God Dragon, somehow contradicting all summoning conditions they both knew he'd been able to bring out the supreme Duel Monsters dragon to finally deal with his best friend and his sister.

Joey smirked as his eyes oozed with hate. "Burn baby burn."

_Don't you see all this pain is for you, Ra?  
From the bottom of my  
torn  
he  
art  
All for you…  
Ahhahahaha!_


	40. The Soul Sacrifice Part II

Chapter 40: The Soul Sacrifice Part II

All five heads of Joey's monster reared, launching their attacks at the Neo Guardians, Yugi and Serenity. The two lovers hugged each other tightly, tears running down Serenity's face as she watched death speeding towards them.

Yugi glanced up at Serenity and smiled. "I love you."

Serenity looked down into his gentle eyes and smiled, kissing him on the lips. "I love you too."

Both closed their eyes, holding each other and determined to be together in death the way they were denied in life. Moments passed then seconds, Yugi allowed a full half minute go by before opening his eyes. The battle continued to rage around them but Five God Dragon's attack seemingly never connected. The attacks were speeding towards them but they just seemed to fade away. Yugi understood why immediately, Joey had dropped to his knees, grasping his head as if in agony. Yugi untangled himself from Serenity and tried to move towards his best friend.

Artemis caught wind of his movement and quickly transformed back into Sekhmet and interceded, driving her father into the wall beside them. Horus coughed blood onto Sekhmet's fur as she released him, allowing him to slide down against the wall.

Yugi growled, running to help Horus to his feet. "Set, Bastet, Ma'at get Sekhmet now!"

The battles continued to push Yugi and his friends back towards the house, they were steadily losing ground to the Millennium Guardians, Téa and Atem despite hurting their opponents. Orpheus's blood had now soaked his robes, Venus had managed to get away from him long enough to inflict more damage after Mai's intervention earlier in the fight. Venus's blade had slashed into the front of his shirt, causing blood to now drip from the wound into the snow. He had teamed up with Nidoki who almost lost an eye to Mai's Harpie Sisters. Nidoki had managed to rid herself of one sister, but the others were nearly overwhelming the Guardian.

Forseti was out of the fight; Diabound had destroyed his Red-Eyes, broken his leg and delivered the knockout blow. In the chaos that accompanied Joey's appearance Artemis had just enough time to create a warp tunnel to remove him from the battlefield.

However, for every battle Yugi and his friends were winning they were losing one. Sephora and Selene were leaning on each other for support; they were battered, bruised and bleeding, trying to fight off the might of Yukai's Chaos Beast avatar Anhur. Selene's stunt in Elysium had drained her of a substantial amount of energy which she still hadn't completely recovered. As she tried to fight Anhur, she was cursing her mortal body and its failings.

The only person who seemed to be having fun was Pluto who was diving out of the way as Shesmu connected with the ground, sending dirt and shrapnel flying into the air. He had apparently regained his confidence after Kaiba's talking, which surprised both the CEO and Mars. Pluto's two allies disregarded the quick turnabout in favor of taking out Shesmu.

Kenji drove his sword into the ground, launching himself forward to hit Atem square in the stomach with his feet forcing the former pharaoh reeling backwards away from Nick, Téa and the rest of the group. Pulling his sword from the ground, Kenji pursued him into the undergrowth.

Téa and Nick faced off against each other. Téa smirked, now finally alone with the subject of her hate. Nick frowned, looking up at his monsters. "You two go help Sephora and Selene."

Magician of Black Chaos and Invader of Darkness reluctantly obeyed their master and began attacking Anhur. Téa smirked. "Giving up, I didn't think that was like you."

Nick took off his sword, dropping it on the ground in front of him. "I've had enough, Téa. No more." He raised his arms from his sides, leaving himself defenceless. "This is your one chance. Your free shot at me. If you can't kill me now, you're not going to get another chance. I love the woman who you've got locked up inside your head too much to let you abuse her body like this. If you can't kill me right here right now, I will kill you to save her."

Téa stopped, utterly stunned by Nick's ultimatum. She never imagined he would have the confidence or the resolve to make a proclamation like that. She laughed. "You wouldn't dare harm your dear sweet wife, you're bluffing."

Nick looked at her darkly. "Try me."

The struggle for control was not only happening in the snow-swept battlefield but also in the mind of one Joseph Wheeler. He sat knelt in the snow, the pain in his head excruciating. Just as he felt he could take no more he collapsed unconscious, a small trickle of blood running down his face from his nose.

The inside of Joey's mind was tainted with the same kind of darkness that had invaded Kaiba's mind in the Underworld. Joey stood with his fists clenched, angrily prepared to attack whatever came out of the darkness at him.

"Joseph, dear Joseph, why are you so tense? Let me help you relax." A familiar voice asked as it emerged into the light that illuminated the area around Joey's feet. Joey tensed as a soft hand rubbed his shoulder, Mai's face appearing from behind him, smiling softly. "Come now, hon, it's only me." She giggled.

Joey softened his stance as Mai rubbed his shoulders. He was unable to feel the malicious aura exuded off Mai, further putting him at risk of danger.

She smirked, leaning into his ear. "This is what you want isn't it, Mai Valentine the dutiful lover?" Joey nodded, smiling. What he got in return was her eerie laughter. "You can't have it, not while he's around, whoops!"

Joey felt Mai's hands being ripped from his shoulders. Spinning around, he found her in Nick's arms, she looked at him pleadingly as Nick kissed and nibbled at her neck erotically. Mai's pleading eyes turned lustful as she gave into Nick's seduction, moaning and hissing in pleasure. Her naked body wrapped around Nick's.

Joey trembled with anger as he dove at them. "Get away from her!" He screamed as he leapt through the image of Nick and Mai just as it slowly faded away.

He rolled to a stop on the floor, bitter anger flowing from every pour on his body. He barely registered the footsteps coming towards him until his body was gathered in his sister's arms. Looking up into her tender eyes the anger washed away. "Serenity, you'll never leave me. You'll never abandon me, will you?"

Serenity smiled, but her smile slowly turned into a devious grin as her laughter began. She shoved Joey away, rising to her feet and wrapping her arms around Yugi. Joey reached out to Serenity only to have her spit in his face. "Why would I want you... a pathetic clingy big brother when I can have a man like Yugi who treats me how I deserve to be treated? Like a woman."

Suddenly Mai and Nick appeared behind them. Nick's hand slid down Serenity's back as Mai kissed Yugi, turning a disgusted stare towards Joey.

"We don't need you; we don't want you anymore, Joey. Crawl in a hole and die. With these two are around, we don't need anything from you," Mai said.

The four of them turned away from him, laughing as they walked away. Seething with anger, Joey seized the sword that had appeared next to him. Rising to his feet he brandished the sword, pointing in Nick's direction. "They're mine... only mine, all mine _forever_!" The last word was laced with malice.

Nick was completely taken off-guard as Joey launched himself, slicing him clean in half with the diamond sharp katana. Blood exploded from Nick's body, half covering Joey's body as he rounded on his best friend. The sword dragged along the stone flooring, sending sparks into the air as he sliced Yugi up the middle. The blood spewing out of Yugi's body sprayed over Joey's hands, arms, face and hair as the two halves fell away. Joey stepped through the blood, shoving both women to the ground and looming over them with hateful anger and blood dripping off his body.

Mai smiled, rising to her feet, kissing Joey on his blood-stained lips as Serenity rose to embrace him. Mai drew back slightly, her blood-stained lips forming into a smirk. "This is the true you. Embrace it and your deepest most deeply held desires will be yours."

Joey started shaking again this time out of fear rather than anger. He tried to push Serenity and Mai off of him but with every push their grips tightened. Mai's expression changed from lustful satisfaction to pleading anger. "No! You won't get away from us; it's your destiny to embrace the evil that lurks in your heart and soul. Give into it and we will be yours."

Joey fell over with Serenity and Mai on top of him, finally managing to slip out of their grasp. He backed away hurriedly, deeply disturbed by their behaviour and his reaction to it. He slid across the floor away from the two women who were on their hands and knees, stalking him like lionesses stalking their prey.

Serenity had a perverse look on her face as she drew closer to him. "Big brother, don't deny us. Embrace your own darkness and kill the men in the way of you having us forever."

Joey furiously shook his head. "No! I'm not like that, I can't be, Yugi wouldn't do that... Yugi wouldn't steal you away from me! He's my best friend!"

Mai laughed. "Then what about Nick?" She asked, transforming from Mai into Téa. "He's always been your rival, the arrogant billionaire who took Téa away before you could profess the fact that you loved me. Wouldn't you love to kill him, with him dead there's nothing standing in your way? I've already embraced the darkness. If you join me, we can be together forever, you, me, Serenity and Mai, the three of us sitting at your feet to service your every whim." Téa reached Joey who found his body pressed against a wall that had suddenly materialized behind him. She crawled up his body, stopping just inches from his face, smiling wickedly. "Don't deny it, Joey. You've always wanted me. You can justify it as love but I know its lust. You've lusted after my body, had erotic fantasies about what you'd do to me. I'm not blind, I'm an adult too."

The closeness of Téa combined with the sweet smell of her breath, perfume and seductive words were having the effect of dredging up every bad thought, naughty image and erotic fantasy he'd ever had about his friend. The appeal of what Mai and Serenity had been offering wasn't easy to dismiss but with discipline he was slowly winning the battle against their seduction.

However, Téa was a different story. With her somehow, whatever was in control of this had hit his weak spot, he and Nick had never been friends and the lust or love he never figured out which he felt for Téa was intoxicating. He always had to suppress his feelings for her, first because Yugi was in love with her, then because she was in love with Nick. When Téa informed him they were getting married, he had put a dent in a wall with his fist.

Téa's laugh brought him back to... whatever the hell mind trip he was in. "See, I told you, Joey. You want me so bad it made you angry to learn you couldn't have me. Don't deny yourself anymore. Stop putting your feelings away for others. Embrace the darkness and kill Nick and Yugi. Don't do it for me, do it for us. For everything we can be together, for all the pleasure I can give you, for all the sex we'll have." She finished whispering the last part in his ear.

Joey clenched his fists, hating himself with every fibre of his being for what he was about to do. "NO!" He yelled, shoving Téa away and getting to his feet. Téa rounded on him but before she could close in, he raised the sword he'd been holding, shaking his head. "No, I won't, I can't. I won't betray my friends... They won't abandon me just like I'd never abandon them. I love you, Téa... but you're not mine to love. You're in love with Nick and as much as that pisses me off he loves you with everything he has. A man has to respect that kind of bond. I'd never step between them no matter how much some figment of darkness tries to convince me too. Get out of my head, get the fuck out of my head!"

An explosion of light engulfed the room as outside Joey's head he reared, throwing his head and body back with his arms outstretched. Opening his eyes and mouth, the darkness poured out of him like a sickness erupting into the air before exploding along with the Five God Dragon that it had summoned. Joey swayed before falling forward, just catching himself to stop face planting in the snow. His eyes had resumed their normal colouring as he smiled, wiping the sweat off his brow. "Wow... If this is what having a hangover is like... Man, it sucks!"

In the distance Serenity approached him cautiously. "Joey... is... is that you?"

Joey smiled, wrapping his arms around his sister, smiling. "Yup."

Serenity pushed him away slightly for a moment. She carefully examined him to make her own assessment. "And if I want to have sex with Yugi?"

Joey's face dropped. "Please don't say things like that to me..." He groaned.

His sister cheered, throwing her arms around him. "He's ok, he's back!"

"Yeah, that's great Serenity, watch out!" Yugi yelled, throwing himself on top of the two of them as Sekhmet struck, trying to kill Joey and Serenity in one strike. Sekhmet missed them by inches, digging her claws into the wall of the house behind them. Crawling out from under Sekhmet, Yugi pulled Horus's sword free and swore at himself. "I'm sorry, Artemis, please forgive me." He whispered, plunging his sword into Sekhmet's side.

Sekhmet screamed in anguish, drawing the attention of both Lucifer and Erebus to their battle. Abandoning their own fights, they launched themselves at Yugi, their blood lust rising to alarming levels the closer they came to him.

In the moment before they were able to connect, Shu and Bastet grabbed Anhur by the horns, flipping it over onto his back. The ground shook as Anhur was thrown to the ground. Shesmu stopped suddenly, grabbed by his tail by Ma'at and Set, thrown clear of Yugi and the others. Sekhmet withdrew to her brethren transforming from Sekhmet back into Artemis.

Blood now soaked both her hand and the material around the wound. Artemis spat blood from her mouth angrily. "Bastard, I thought you would suffer before, but they won't let you get away with this now." She put her bloodied hand to her face, laughing manically. "You have all signed your own death warrants!" She shouted, removing her hand from her face, her bright azure eyes shining through her blood-stained skin.

Téa laughed, turning her attention away from Artemis and back to the matter in hand. Pulling her knife from the stocking, she pointed it at Nick. "Oh my love, it seems our time is up, Yugi and the rest of those idiots are about to die. It's almost a shame you won't live to see what comes next. It's going to be glorious!"

She inched closer to Nick who stood unmoved in front of her. Stopping inches from Nick's face, she raised the blade to plunge into his chest. In a flash Nick grabbed Téa by the wrist, pulling the Soul Sphere from his pocket. Téa growled, struggling in his grasp. "No fair, you said I had one free shot to kill you!"

Now it was Nick's turn to laugh. "Yeah, I lied!" He replied, smashing the Soul Sphere against Téa's chest. A sudden and massive white light engulfed them, throwing both back into the ground unconscious.

Almost at the same time this was happening, Artemis ordered all the Millennium Guardians to attack, but something had stopped her more to the point, fear had stopped her. Fear of the sudden appearance of a new and unexpected variable on the battlefield.

A bright light had blinded her from where Mai was standing. Peering from it was the feline body belonging to Tyche. On the tip of her nose she held out the source of the light: a card. She tossed the item to Mai's hands before disappearing out of nowhere.

"Astarte, Guardian Servant of Selene." Mai announced, holding the glowing card out in front of her as the platinum blonde-haired Guardian descended, her blazing red eyes locked on the Millennium Guardians. She joined her brothers and sisters in forming a wall to separate everyone from their opponents.

Artemis scowled. "It doesn't matter, we can still win, there's no way you can defeat us all!"

"Is that so, Artemis? Well, we all disagree with that sentiment!" A voice challenged.

Everyone's eyes were drawn to the sudden formation of a warp tunnel from which Uranus led a group of Guardians consisting of Athena, Vulcan, Zephyrus, Gaia, Ceres, Sonja and Saturn. They were in full battle armour prepared for a fight to the death. They joined Yugi and his friends as Joey and Kaiba carried Nick and Téa to safety inside the house before returning to Yugi's side. Just then Kenji emerged from the forest, throwing an unconscious Atem at the Millennium Guardian's feet. He greeted everyone with a big smile for his success before joining his brothers and sisters.

Yugi stepped forward beyond the safety of the Neo Guardians, staring down the Millennium Guardians. "You've lost tonight. Artemis is injured, Joey has banished the darkness from his heart, and Nick looks to have brought Téa back from your control. I don't even see Forseti amongst you. Seems you've lost some of your teammates; I would think over those odds if I were you."

Artemis twitched, looking over the battlefield as the pain in her side worsened. Clenching her fist, she cast a glance around her battered and battle-weary brothers and sister and signalled for them to withdraw. She paused for a moment as her brothers and sisters faded into darkness. "Enjoy this while you can, Yugi. You may find there is a high price for victory."

With that parting message Artemis joined her brothers and sister in the shadows, leaving Yugi, his friends and their Guardian allies standing in the darkness of a moonless snowy winter's night. The white snow was freshly stained with blood and the house behind them bore the signs of battle damage, but as Yugi turned to embrace Serenity, he knew this was a victory they had desperately needed and rightly deserved. No matter the price.

_Rest while you can, Yugi  
They'll be back for your blood another day  
Escape with your life, leave this filthy world  
It's your only hope…_


	41. Better Left Unsaid

Chapter 41: Better Left Unsaid

Nick groaned as he stirred back to consciousness, immediately wishing he hadn't as he found his entire body was aching. Putting his hand up to his face, he could feel someone stroking his hair gently. Groaning again, he spoke, "I swear Ryou, if that's you we're going to have a serious talk about your gaydar."

"If you're having discussions about Ryou's gaydar we might have to have a talk about why we're getting married?" A soft feminine voice replied, a vein of bemusement running under her words.

Nick's eyes snapped open, quickly meeting the eyes of his one and only love and the mother of his child, Téa Gardner. Despite himself, the first thing he did was tear up. He sat up a little, clearing his throat as Téa's arms wrapped themselves around his chest, pulling him back towards her. "I thought I'd never get you back..." He whispered as he realized they were sitting in the lounge room/translation hub. The books and boxes of materials had returned but had yet to be set back up.

Téa smiled, kissing his neck and softly making him shiver. "I knew. I never doubted you would save me. I always knew you'd be my knight in shining armour." Nick finally heard the music that was coming in from the dining room. He turned around to face Téa with a curious expression on his face; she shrugged. "Jupiter decided getting one over on the Millennium Guardians was as good excuse as any to have a party. So we're having one. But I wanted to spend some time with you."

Nick smiled and despite his aching body he stood up, offering Téa his hand. "I see no need to waste a good party, Miss Gardner, do you?"

Téa grinned, taking his hand. "None, Mr King."

He helped Téa to her feet, swiftly hooking his arm around hers, their fingers intertwining as they entered the dining room. Everyone turned to watch them enter, cheering as they joined the table.

After a long night of celebrating their victory over the Millennium Guardians, everyone assembled for a late breakfast. Well, everyone was sort of subjective. At the head of the table sat Nick as usual, down the left hand side was Téa, Mai, Kenji, Jupiter, Sephora, Ryou and Serenity. On his right was Joey, Mokuba, Kiki, Horus, Selene, Kaiba, Bakura and Hathor with Yugi sitting at the opposite end to Nick. Yugi tried making Hathor eat more than the tiny portions of scrambled egg and bacon that were sitting on her plate.

"Just a little more, please, for Daddy?" Yugi pleaded with his daughter. Hathor blinked, giving her father a disdainful look. He sighed in defeat. "Ok, ok, at least have some toast and juice."

Hathor nodded, taking a piece of toast. She cut it in half and placed the quarter piece back on the pile. Yugi groaned, his head dropping as he witnessed his daughter circumvent his request. Yugi couldn't help but notice the amusement his lack of success was garnering amongst the other people at the table. He scowled slightly. "Oh shut up..."

Sighing contently, Joey leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. "So do the big brains at the table have any idea what we're supposed to do next?"

Yugi looked up, exchanging looks with Nick, Horus, Selene and Kaiba who all stared equally puzzled by the question. Before Yugi could respond another voice entered the conversation, "I have a suggestion."

The group turned around to find the source of the voice was Uranus, after seeing most of the Guardians return back home he opted to remain on Earth. Yugi motioned him to sit down as a chair was made available in the centre of the table. Uranus sat down, silently pondering what he was going to say next.

"Ever since Pluto, Yukai and the rest of the Millennium Guardians disappeared we haven't been able to track down two other Guardians. We don't believe they are allied with the Millennium Guardians, they are just missing."

Yugi cocked his head to one side. "Who are the Guardians?"

Uranus picked up a piece of toast, tearing a strip of unbuttered bread from the rest and tossing it into his mouth before answering, "Apollo and Mercury." Looking up and down the table, he stifled a squeak of shock when he realized Horus and Selene were also there.

Shaking his head, Yugi jumped in with another question. "Do you have any idea where they might be?"

Uranus tossed another strip of toast into his mouth and then replied, "We have ruled out the Underworld and Earth because they would be easily detected. An exhaustive search by the Guardians has ruled out Animus and of the last of the five worlds we've deemed Elysium as the most logical location. It's the world of magic; Guardians have a hard time navigating with the amount of magical energy present."

Yugi nodded and rose to his feet, finally coming to a decision. "Well then it's off to Elysium we go."

Uranus waved his hand to stop him. "Yugi, whoever you take, it must be a small team, five or six at the most. Any more might be detected by Artemis and the others. I've lost too many of my siblings to their side just to lose Mercury and Apollo as well."

The duelist acknowledged his advice, looking up and down the table. "Nick?"

Nick shook his head. "Sorry Yugi, I need to stay here. That translation won't get done by itself and in that vein I'd like Kisara to stay as well."

Kisara set her fork down on the plate and said, "I would like to stay anyway." She turned her attention to Kaiba, wondering whether he was also going to remain.

Joey jumped in, wanting to redeem himself after what had just transpired last night. Frankly he felt he had failed Yugi by allowing his dark side to take over and nearly succeed in killing both his best friend and younger sister. "I'll go with you, Yug."

Yugi knew the reason behind Joey's decision. He put on a weak smile, hoping to convince the blond to change his mind. "No, that's ok, Joey. You've been through a lot the last week or so I want you to stay here and rest. You, too, Téa."

The brunette pouted cutely, giving Yugi a wink. "Yes, Yugi-kun."

Yugi avoided looking at Nick, turning his attention to Kaiba. "Do you want to come, Kaiba?"

Kaiba took a moment to consider. He briefly remembered he had held onto Ammon's card after Joey's outburst before coming to his conclusion. "Of course."

"I'm going." Serenity announced, giving Joey a look to tell him not to argue.

Pluto cleared his throat, drawing Yugi's gaze. Even though he had been out of action for some time, he figured it wouldn't hurt lending his assistance. After all, he was a Millennium Guardian, and he also shared a deep connection with his twin brother, Mercury. "I would like to come as well if that's ok, Yugi?"

Yugi's face turned sincere, understanding the possibility of his asset. "Of course, Pluto."

Uranus frowned at this. "If Pluto is going, I insist that Mars goes as well."

Pluto's eyes narrowed. He clenched his fists together, ready to take out his fellow Genesis Guardian in a fit of rage. "Why do we need Mars, don't you trust me, Uranus?"

"No I don't. How do we know you're not a plant? Who says we can trust you?" Uranus demanded. He knew all too well the Guardian of Darkness wouldn't hesitate to switch sides to benefit only himself. Pluto had done so once back during the Final Battle and then again to lure Yugi into Animus.

"I do." Horus's deep growl interjected. His eyes bore malice as he stared directly towards the Guardian of the Void.

Uranus flinched, looking around at Horus. He bowed in deep respect to him as did Pluto. "Honoured Holy Guardian, forgive my disrespect."

Horus considered them both for a moment before waving his hand. "You are forgiven. However, Pluto, Uranus is correct. Mars would be a valuable ally, you will both go."

Pluto frowned but complied. There was no way he could disobey an elder Guardian despite he himself being the oldest in the current generation of Guardians. "Yes sir."

Uranus turned back to Yugi. "I've already arranged a guide with Fiona."

At this point Selene interrupted. "Horus, I have spent quite some time accompanying Yugi, the Guardians and their friends recently. I think it would be a good idea for you to go."

Horus squared his jaw, muttering, "I don't like hiking." He tapped his index finger on the table and leaned back in his chair.

Selene scowled. "Pretend you do!"

Her brother sat straight up, his face contorting so as not to reveal the scowl his emotions were betraying. "Yes, Selene." In a behavior not befitting the former king, he rolled his eyes.

Selene smiled brightly. "Excellent, this way you and Yugi can bond, son-in-law to father-in-law."

Yugi and Horus looked at each other and then turned away. They both shared the same response, "Terrific."

Breakfast continued for a short while before everyone broke to go to their jobs or to pack for the trip to Elysium. As Nick was walking away from the table, Yugi called him back. They waited until the room was clear for Yugi to speak, "I didn't want to bring this up in front of everyone."

Nick pulled up a chair beside Yugi as he dropped the broken Soul Sphere in front of where Nick was sitting. Nick frowned, realizing what the duelist had in mind for the discussion. "Ah."

Yugi went silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "I know how much Téa being brainwashed into working for Artemis hurt. I also know how much of a struggle it's been for you to try and stay in one piece mentally without completely falling apart. But it's hard to express how disappointed I am in you... The Soul Sphere represented everyone's hope that we could get the Millennium Guardians back without having to do something drastic. I'm not going to argue about whether you were right or wrong to do what you did... We have Téa back, I'm really glad. You and I, though, shouldn't speak to each other until I return." Yugi finished, standing up. He walked around Nick but stopped, placing a hand on his shoulder. "When I get back we won't have to talk about this ever again. Just for now though, I need some time."

Nick sat silently, clenching and unclenching his fists as the shame boiled up within him. He slammed the table with his fist, standing up and walking away.

An hour later Yugi and the rest of his party were gathered in the backyard, everyone had gathered to send them off except Nick who chose to stay inside. After exchanging goodbyes and good lucks on both sides Yugi, Kaiba, Serenity, Horus and Pluto departed to Elysium. Uranus had left straight after breakfast to retrieve Mars and send him on ahead to meet up with Fiona and their guide.

* * *

Meanwhile in Domino City, Yugi's grandfather had completed counting his inventory and made his way to the shop's front door to flip the open sign to closed. He momentarily peered at the evening stars in the sky, wondering what his grandson was doing halfway across the world. Yugi phoned him a couple of times, bearing news about his great-granddaughter Hathor to Tristan's death. Solomon declined when Yugi suggested he have a Guardian to watch him in case Artemis decided to go after him next. His grandson was horrified, trying to convince the old man to change his mind. Not budging one bit, Yugi gave up, clearly both angered and sad that he quickly hung up before Solomon had time to explain his reason.

That was the last time he had spoken to Yugi. In his age, he knew at any time death would come swiftly and he was more than willing to embrace it. Solomon didn't want Yugi to worry, it was part of the life and death cycle, a symbol Mesenet the Silver Phoenix Dragon represented.

Deeply sighing, Solomon hadn't dreamt of the dangers he put Yugi through when he handed him the Millennium Puzzle. The ancient artifact brought nothing but trouble in its wake, and it didn't help matters when he learned Yugi was in fact the reincarnation of a physical god. All he ever wanted was for Yugi to live an ordinary life, not to drag him down a path which could potentially lead to his death. No, Solomon didn't want his only living family member to die before him. It was hard enough to accept the news about the deaths of Yugi's parents.

A sound startled him from his thoughts and he turned around to stare at a pair of stern gray eyes. With his arms crossed and his wings folded behind him, Uranus slowly made his way to the old man. He left Animus immediately after informing Mars about the new mission, having decided to confront Solomon on a matter which bothered him.

The room had suddenly grown colder Solomon realized. The Guardian's very presence could have very well chilled him to the bone, but he wasn't going to show fear in front of a superior being.

Uranus chuckled slightly from the display of courage. "Not afraid, are we?"

"Why are you here?" Solomon demanded, carefully avoiding a stutter.

Instantly Uranus wrapped his hand around Solomon's neck, lifting him from the floor. "You're not immortal," he said matter-of-factly. "Neither is your grandson or that pharaoh. I don't know what game the royal family is playing, but if you really are descended from us Guardians, then why aren't you immortal?"

Solomon squirmed uncomfortably in the Guardian's rough grip. He gave up trying to free himself, figuring to indulge in Uranus's curiosity. "If I had known about that, wouldn't you think I spend my entire life finding a way to regain it back? My only guess is that my ancestors were punished."

Releasing his grip, Uranus took a few seconds to process the information. In a way it made sense. The Guardians were known to give out punishments to those committing heinous crimes, either on a human or on their own kind. His eyes widened, putting the final piece in place.

"The creation of the Millennium Items," he uttered. Uranus was convinced it was the answer. "Everyone, including the ancient Egyptian royal family, was forbidden from deciphering the Millennium Spellbook." Having heard from Pluto that he and the rest of the Millennium Guardians assembled the book, they then entrusted Atem's family to protect it. However, they never anticipated the likelihood of someone solving a forbidden spell which in turn recreated the very items they once possessed.

As he rubbed his neck, Solomon suddenly had images flash before him. Several contained images of his past life as Shimon, from when he used to own the Millennium Key up until his death at the hands of Zorc Necrophades. Returning back to reality, he noticed Uranus giving him a puzzled look.

"Sorry, dozed off there."

Uranus wasn't fooled easily. "You saw visions of your past life. I had them myself before my powers reawakened in this body." He gritted his teeth, regretting when he joined Pluto's side during the Final Battle. Shaking his head, he proceeded to the exit.

"Wait!"

The Guardian stopped in his tracks.

"My grandson. What will happen to him? Will he be safe?" Solomon couldn't bear the thought of Yugi dying, especially as it felt like this was the last time he was going to see him again.

Closing his eyes, Uranus faced Solomon. His expression contorted into a mix of confusion and uncertainty. "I can't assure that Yugi will survive through this. Just… pray that he will be safe." With that said, he left the shop, completely ignoring a teary-eyed Solomon.

Emerging into the empty streets of Domino, Uranus grabbed a fistful of his hair in frustration. He knew he couldn't promise the old man, knowing a Guardian's duty is to protect, even at the cost of their life.

"I assume your meeting went well?" a female voice said. Turning around, Uranus saw a figure hiding in the shadows of the shop. She came out in full view, looking at him worriedly.

"It did," Uranus answered. He had another matter to address. "Have you discovered anything Pluto's been hiding from us, Sonja?"

The female Guardian bit her lip, unsure of whether it was right to invade Pluto's dreams. She was scared he would have found her and done everything in his power to silence her. It was one thing to fear the strongest Guardian, but to trespass his dreams was asking to get killed. Sonja wasn't sure if Pluto was even sane after what she witnessed.

"Well?" Uranus urged.

"Everything was pitch black from what I gathered," she said, "except I heard constant screaming. The voices definitely belonged to Yukai, Orpheus, Nidoki and Forseti."

Uranus raised an eyebrow. He couldn't imagine whatever hell Pluto was put through, but to hear about his brothers and sister in those dreams intrigued him.

Sonja continued, "These screams sounded so… inhuman, almost like they were being tortured." She paused, starting to feel ill. "What if… Artemis did something horrible to them?"

"I dread to think that may well be the case." Uranus didn't know what to believe anymore: his former leader being tormented by such nightmares or the normally passive Artemis doing terrible things to her own flesh and blood.

* * *

Three quiet hours passed after Yugi and the others departed. Kiki, Koji and Mokuba had locked themselves away with Noah, working on something only they knew about. Joey, Mai, Ryou and Bakura were playing several rounds of Duel Monsters in the family room, exchanging opponents after every match. Mai continually turned down Joey's offers to make it strip Duel Monsters while Sephora and Jupiter watched. Venus wandered off to the infirmary, filing paperwork that had been piling up for several weeks. Selene, on the other hand, was busy reading. Jupiter had grabbed several books from the small library in the house to give the Holy Guardian something to do.

Téa had been catching up on her dance practice in the room she was now sharing with Nick until something that had been playing on her mind since this morning forced itself to the front of her brain. Unable to put it off any longer Téa walked downstairs, passing the family room. She ventured deeper into the house to find the room she was after. Téa stopped at the door for a moment, debating whether it was a good idea to bring up her thoughts with him. Something in the pit of her stomach told her it wasn't going to lead to anything good, but Téa's desire to know overwhelmed that urge.

Entering the room, she smiled at Kisara. The blue-haired woman took her eyes off the book she was currently holding. "Hello, Téa."

Nick turned away from the butcher's paper and smiled. Quickly, he turned back to finish writing the word he started before putting the pen down. He began approaching Téa. "Hello."

He tried to kiss her but Téa stopped him, licking her dry lips nervously. "Um, can we talk a minute, in the dining room?" Kisara, realizing how serious the situation was, resumed to her work without another word.

Nick blinked and nodded, following her out into the dining room. Téa tapped the table nervously. "Nick... what did you and Yugi talk about earlier?"

Nick's eyes narrowed. "When?"

"Earlier, when everyone broke up from breakfast. Yugi asked you to stay behind so you and he could talk."

"Oh... that." Nick responded quietly, now looking down at the table. He noticed the shattered Soul Sphere was still sitting where Yugi left it. Picking it up off the table, he threw it to Téa.

Her eyes widened. She carefully grasped the yellow orb in her hands, noticing the cracks surrounding it. "The Soul Sphere... I remember Artemis talking about this. You used it to free me."

Nick nodded. "I wasn't supposed to... I stole it, from Kisara."

"What?"

"I had no choice Téa; I was dying inside I had to get you back. Yugi was never going to let me use the Soul Sphere to save you." Nick defended as Téa's hands curled into fists.

"Oh, so that justifies throwing everyone else away, does it!" Téa responded, her voice rising. She lay the Soul Sphere back on the table, staring angrily at him.

"Yeah, you know what yeah, yeah it does. You're my fiancée, you're the most important thing in my life. If you're in danger, I will throw everyone else under a bus to make sure you're ok."

"Oh my god, you're a selfish bastard! Nicholas John King, CEO of King Industries and self-anointed god! Caesar of the media, you're the only one who gets to choose who lives and who dies and to hell with everyone else!"

"Oh this is rich coming from everyone's favourite self-appointed conscience, sweet little Téa Gardner, with her friendship speeches and imploring for everyone to get along and do the right thing. You're the god of your own little world, making sure that everyone crosses on green and no one steps out of line because Téa Gardner's deathly afraid of what happens when people start thinking for themselves and wonder if she's not the perfect little princess she makes out to be." Nick retorted, now shouting at his bride-to-be.

"Make out, there's an interesting phrase. Let's talk about that, huh? Let's talk about Nick King and his big, swinging manhood, willing to insert it into the nearest girl with a short skirt and even shorter morals. What was the name of the woman, your colleague, the one you kept having late night meetings with?" Téa shouted back.

By this time the argument had attracted the attention of the occupants inside the house, although none of them dared come out to get in between them. Peering in from the hall that led into the rest of the house were Kisara, Mai, Jupiter, Sephora, Selene and Joey. From their position on the stairs, Kiki, Kenji, Mokuba and Noah had a good but hidden view of the fireworks.

Nick scowled. "Dominika she was, is, a colleague, we never had sex, not once. You damn well know it, too. Or what were those late night meal deliveries, huh? I'm not a fool, Téa. And if we're going to bring up stupid mistakes how about we talk about Alexandra?"

Téa turned away angrily. "I don't want to talk about that..."

"Oh, there's a change. You're happy to yell about women I haven't done it with but I start bringing up the ones you have done it with we're suddenly coy!" He looked from the stairs to the entrance of the hall, taking note of the people their argument attracted. "For the benefit of our audience, Alexandra is the woman Téa slept with when she decided I was having an affair. What happened next, Téa?"

"You dirty bastard, you know what happened! I ended up calling you from the emergency room when I told her I wanted to go back to you... She broke my eye socket. I was lucky I didn't lose my eye."

"Yeah, you didn't because I came back to you, I didn't have to. I was this close to being over you, Téa..." He walked towards her. "Then you call out of the blue and I come running. Like an obedient lap dog, I run and heel at my master's orders. What would you like me to do today, master? Sit, rollover... beg?"

At Nick's last remark Téa's anger peaked, slapping him across the face. That moment, time almost seemed to freeze. Téa gasped as she saw something break in Nick's eyes. He squared his jaw, turning his face towards her and rubbing his cheek gently. He exhaled slowly, keeping his temper in check. "Téa." He whispered.

"Nick... I... I..." Téa stuttered, shaking in fear of what he might do next.

"The ring please." He asked quietly, holding his hand out.

Téa shook her head. "No, don't. Please don't."

Nick licked his lips, biting the top lip. "Please, the ring, I won't ask again."

Téa nodded, sliding the ring off her finger and placing it in Nick's palm. Without a word he turned away, walking back towards the lounge room. Téa stood shaking, trying to hold back the tears that were on the verge of consuming her. She had to know though. "Nick, wait..."

Despite himself he stopped but refused to look at her. "What?"

"Is... are we over?"

Nick dropped his head, shaking. He opened his mouth to respond but he didn't feel any words come out. Instead Nick resumed walking, leaving Téa a shattered sobbing mess on the floor of the dining room.

* * *

Author's Notes: The conversation between Yugi's grandfather and Uranus was inspired by the recent TV airing of Capsule Monsters (seeing as the former had joined Yugi and his friends on their adventure), which made me ask, "What is Solomon doing this entire time while Yugi is away?". The poor fellow plays a minor role in these installments and so I had to come up with a scene to show he's not completely out of the picture. Plus it helped to explore the reasoning behind why he, Yugi and Atem aren't immortal when they're said to be descendants of the Guardian royal family. Guardians are quite the vengeful type, similar to the gods of mythology where I draw their parallels from.

Sonja's introduction may cause some confusion as she first appeared in Dark Crisis for those who haven't read it. She's basically the Guardian of Dreams so she has the ability to wander into the minds of both human and Guardian during their sleep. Unfortunately she can also mess around in someone's dream by altering it and inducing nightmares.

Just to point out, the quotes at the end of chapters 39 and 40 are said by two different characters. Their identities I leave for you, the reader, to solve on your own. I'll eventually answer in due time.

That's enough rambling from me. XD


	42. Unsung Heroes

Disclaimer: Nick King and Phoenix are owned by Linkin-Phoenix. The flashback in this chapter relates to the unwritten story A Phoenix in Pharaoh Atem's Court by Linkin-Phoenix.

* * *

Chapter 42: Unsung Heroes

Artemis shook in pain, cursing Yugi Mutou's name with a variety of colourful profanities as Nidoki attempted to stitch her wound shut. She winced and flinched in pain, eliciting a growl from Nidoki. "Hold still!"

Artemis scowled. "It hurts!"

Nidoki rolled her eyes. "It would hurt less if you would let me give you something for the pain."

Artemis's eyes opened to their maximum, grabbing Nidoki by the throat. "No!" She yelled, her voice changing from her sweet, softly-spoken voice to a deep bellowing, almost demonic tone. Her hands shook around Nidoki's throat. Nidoki pulled her neck free of Artemis's hand just as she lost her strength, completely lapsing into unconsciousness.

Nidoki finished sewing Artemis's wound closed, bandaging it before leaving Artemis to sleep. Leaning against the wall, she rested her hands on her knees, breathing deeply. She knew rationally she shouldn't be scared of Artemis, but something in their confrontation frightened her to the core of her being. For that matter she briefly thought she imagined seeing Artemis's eyes turning from blue to red similar to the curious case of Lucifer who had taken Pluto's appearance yet had red eyes in place of Pluto's own blue ones.

Such thoughts were brushed aside as Nidoki started realizing she was banging her head roughly against the wall. The pain dulled somewhat, but it wasn't enough to replenish the bloodlust stirring inside her. Their earlier encounter with Yugi's group didn't help to quell that thirst, and she was certain her siblings also felt unappeased.

* * *

Mars, the Guardian of Fire, sighed, staring up into the sun of Elysium. He shifted uncomfortably in the cool air, summoning a small fireball to warm himself up with. "Explain to me again why I've been selected for this oh-so-special assignment?"

His companion groaned, standing up to pace slightly and pulling at the silver robes that covered his torso and left arm. He adjusted himself, tugging on the dragon crest emblem that held his robes together. The powder blue upper section of his robe slackened a little, revealing the white linen shirt he was wearing beneath his formal robes. "It was Horus's idea; do you want to explain to a Holy Guardian that you were too busy with your girlfriend to attend to the needs of Ra?"

Mars sat up, scowling at Uranus as he got to his feet. He dusted off his black robes that cut diagonally across his body to reveal the crimson shirt and black jeans that more fit the style of someone who lived on Earth. Mars had a sash of red velvet that was sown into the top of his robes that were connected to the emblem that sat at his shoulder. His emblem differed from Uranus's in that it symbolised one of the four elements; in his case fire and his status as a Genesis Guardian, the highest rank and level of power a Guardian could achieve while still being alive. He pulled on his robe again, muttering darkly to himself. "No, of course not."

Uranus smirked. "That's what I thought."

Mars walked over to stand beside Uranus and Fiona, who up to this point had been completely ignoring them as a warp tunnel opened before them. "Flannery is going to be pissed though."

Uranus rolled his eyes. "You'll make it up to her."

Mars shrugged. "I don't have to; I've already blamed it all on you."

The fourth member of the team rolled her eyes as Yugi, Kaiba, Horus, Serenity and Pluto emerged from the warp tunnel. Uranus, Mars and Fiona bowed respectfully towards Horus who returned their bows, then turning to Uranus. "I wasn't aware you would be joining us?"

Uranus shook his head. "I would prefer to but I can't. I need to return to Animus and resume organising the Guardians."

Yugi stepped forward. "What's going on?"

Uranus turned to Yugi. "In anticipation of Artemis splitting the Millennium Guardians up again, I've started assigning teams of Guardians to patrol and guard the five worlds. I'm hoping it will deter them from attempting that particular trick again." Reading the concerned look on Yugi's face he quickly added, "I'm not going to pull any Guardians from their duties guarding your friends. The Guardians in Kings Park and London will stay in position until the crisis has passed and not before."

Yugi nodded. "Good, I don't want to see anyone else die..." He mumbled more to himself.

Serenity frowned, putting her hands over his shoulders and kissed the back of his head. "Hey, don't get all morbid on us."

He smiled bitterly. "Sure."

Pluto stood off on his own, his arms crossed. He frowned, wondering whom this guide was that Uranus had organised for them. As he wondered he received a tap on the back of his head. Blinking, he turned around to scold the person who had done it when he was greeted by the lips of his former lover, the sorceress Cataluna. Breaking the kiss she smiled, hiding her archer bow behind her back as he blinked in confusion. "Cataluna, what..."

The woman smiled sweetly. "That was hello." Before Pluto could regain his composure, she slapped him as hard as she could across the face. A heavy scowl crossed her face. "_That_ was for everything else!" She huffed, walking away. "By the way, I am now known simply as Luna. You can cease calling me Cataluna."

Pluto scowled, recognising his former lover instantly. "What are you doing here, _Luna_?" He uttered her name with a hint of annoyance.

Luna rolled her eyes. "What do you think? You always were slow, even for a Guardian."

Pluto clenched his teeth. "Watch your words, sorceress!"

Luna's eyes narrowed, shifting into a fighting stance. She quickly grabbed an arrow from her quiver and imbued it with the natural energy around her, muttering incantations under her breath. Her eyes glowed red as the wind picked up around her. "Watch yours, demon, this is my world, my people and my friends. You step onto this world only at the behest of the magicians and sorcerers that rule it. On any other of the five worlds you are the most powerful being, but here you are weak in comparison to the spirits and forces of magic. If you have forgotten, I will be so willing to give you a demonstration of the depths of this sorceress's power!"

Pluto smirked, drawing his sword out. "My dear Luna, you may think your strength is enough to defeat the might of a Millennium Guardian, but I assure you. Your power is _nothing _compared to mine!"

Luna and Pluto began to circle each other, deciding on the correct moment to strike first. Both were poised for battle, both were eager to spill the other's blood. Decades, nay, centuries of bitterness were being stirred in the opening moments of a journey that could take them weeks. Pluto launched himself at Luna only to be knocked off course by the interjection of another. Rolling to a stop with anger coursing through him, Pluto looked up to meet the eyes of Yugi and his Ka, Arcana Knight Joker, the most powerful Spellcaster in existence.

Pluto scowled. "Yugi, this is..."

"Enough!" Yugi yelled, forcing both Pluto and Luna to relent as he stared a hole through them both. "I don't know why you two are arguing, I even don't care. We have a long way to travel and if we don't get them first, Apollo and Mercury might end up dead!" Luna and Pluto frowned at each other but nodded a silent agreement, shifting into a normal stance. Yugi sighed. "Thank you." He rubbed the back of his neck, frowning.

Serenity bent down, looking him in the eyes. "Yugi, are you ok?"

Yugi smiled. "I'm fine, just a headache."

"Do you want to sit down?"

"No, I'm fine."

Serenity grabbed a flask from Kaiba. "You should have some water at least."

Yugi pushed the water away. "Seriously, Serenity, I'm fine."

Serenity pushed the water towards him. "We've got a lot of walking ahead of us, it's just going..."

"God, Serenity, I said I'm fine damn it, just leave me alone. What are you, my mother?" Yugi snapped angrily. His anger forced Serenity back, he expected her to cry or throw a tantrum but she did neither. Instead Serenity's only reaction was to look disappointed in him. Somewhere deep inside Yugi her disappointment seemed to hurt more.

Yugi slung his rug sack over his shoulder and turned away from the others. "Let's go!"

Luna rubbed her head, glaring at Pluto as she started following Yugi. Kaiba put his hand on Serenity's shoulder who looked back at him and nodded before the two joined Luna. Horus, Pluto, Mars and Fiona all exchanged concerned glances at Yugi's behaviour before Horus led Mars and Fiona towards Yugi and the others.

As Uranus summoned a warp tunnel, he looked back towards his brothers, sister and the two mortals. He wasn't the Guardian of Prophecy that was Apollo; he didn't have premonitions about future events. Uranus did, however, have gut feelings and the one he was having right now was filled with unease. As if his gut was telling him this journey his brother Yugi was embarking on would lead to something significant, something significantly bad.

* * *

On Earth life had gone back to relatively normal in the Kings Park house after Nick and Téa's heart-tearing fight in the dining room earlier. Nick had returned to working with Kisara on the translation, neither one saying a word about the fight. Téa, after breaking down in tears, had been helped upstairs by Joey and had apparently fallen asleep beside him after tiring herself out crying.

A few occupants were more or less annoyed with the drama that took place, namely Kenji who began pacing back and forth in the upstairs hallway in an attempt to ease his boredom. He was aware his presence was not wanted, keeping his distance from his fellow Guardians. Just as he was about to make his twentieth round, a door leading to Jupiter's mainframe computer room opened and revealed a frowning Koji.

"Is there anything else you can do with your time instead of making circles around here?" he yelled.

Aggravated, Kenji confronted the young adult face-to-face. "Uranus hadn't given me a new assignment before he left earlier so no."

With a sigh, Koji shut the door behind him and leaned against it. Figuring as much this was a good opportunity, he asked, "If that's the case, then I may have an idea of what you can do." Kenji perked up instantly which relieved Koji. "You see, I have college finals next month and would really love to take this time to study. How about you help Kiki and Mokuba and cover me while I'm away?"

"Anything to get away from the boring soap opera downstairs," Kenji said. "Besides I liked it better when Yugi and his friends only concerned themselves with playing a children's card game to save the world." He watched as Koji waved him off and proceeded to the stairs. Thrilled with his new objective, he entered the computer room to find the two teens engrossed with their work. He shivered slightly from sensing Noah near him.

"What happened to Koji?" Both Kiki and Mokuba looked up to see who Noah was talking to.

"Said he had finals to worry about so I'm filling his place of whatever he was doing," Kenji answered.

Kiki's eyes seemed to light up. "This is great! You'll be a great use to us!"

Shocked to hear her approval, Kenji wondered what made her very excited. He noticed Mokuba was equally confused.

"I know the Guardians really hate your guts and all, but this just make things a whole lot better for us in the long run," Kiki said. She ushered him to come closer and pointed to the screen filled with computer symbols. "Nick and Kisara are too busy solving their mystery text so I thought to do my own investigation."

"Does anyone else know about this?" Kenji asked.

Kiki shook her head. "Um, no. If I did, then someone like Horus was possible to stop me."

"The stuff Kiki found is amazing. Who knew Jupiter kept a lot of the Guardian history in these computer files." Mokuba wished he had come across this information six years ago so he could learn how it related back to Kaiba. Apparently his older brother tried discouraging him from looking up ancient Egyptian history, specifically that of his past life as a priest. Some of the information he found was thanks to Ishizu, but it was generally how Seto ascended the throne to rule Egypt after Atem's death.

"We know Jupiter keeps the more vital files up in the computer archives on Animus," Noah said, his holographic form merging with the systems to show off the map of said location. "Except it can only be accessed by the Guardians."

His brain finally caught on what they wanted him to do. Kenji had the clearance and with his brethren too occupied with their current problems he was certain no one would notice him missing. If need be, he could easily sneak into the archives by avoiding any detection due to his espionage training. He formally worked as Artemis's personal spy, becoming her eyes and tracking wanted criminals. The unspoken hatred the Guardians had for him was mostly how, without Artemis's permission, he spied on them to ensure their loyalty.

There was one concern Kenji had. "The computers Jupiter has set up on Animus won't be easy to access as they have super-tight security. How do you expect me to find the protected files?"

Turning to Mokuba, Kiki could only grin at his comment. "Mokuba and I are creating a code that should bypass the security. What the Guardians and even my own brother don't know about me is I'm a hacker."

"It's impressive how Jupiter devised such a system in the first place," Mokuba said. "With her skill, she would have no problem hacking into every computer around the world. She could create viruses, worms and the like to even destroy government systems if she wanted to."

Noah reappeared in his semi-visible form, his face somewhat disturbed by the conversation. "The scary thought is, Jupiter is capable of such a thing and the Guardians might not be afraid to use her as a secret weapon for technological warfare. My father no doubt would have loved having her as his own daughter."

"Jupiter's not the only one to be cause for fear." Kenji was astounded by how frightened Noah looked. The boy's life was now in Jupiter's hands and she could pull the plug on him any time she wanted.

"Kenji's right. Considering there are Guardians that can control the very elements around us, just think of the global destruction like flooding, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions to name a few examples." Kiki quickly typed on the keyboard and pulled a file on the various Guardians currently active.

Blinking, Kenji could only open and close his mouth to show his surprise. Both Pluto and Mercury were completely unaware that their little sister was no longer the girl who enjoyed playing macabre games. She had grown to become a full-fledged hacker. The file she discovered was supposed to be accessed by restricted personnel only. What was he getting in to?

Her blue eyes gleamed as she took in the silence Kenji was having. "You can back out now but then we'd have to kill you since you know too much." She began laughing sinisterly. Even Mokuba and Noah joined in.

"Ha! Likely story except you forgot I'm imm—" Kenji stopped himself when he saw that Kiki had his file on the screen listing his strengths, weaknesses and even his entire profile. "Are you being serious?"

"Of course not," she said. "You gotta admit I did have you backing into the corner. So, what will you do?"

Realizing he really did slowly make his way to the corner, Kenji swore at himself. "I have nothing else better to do with my time anyway."

* * *

Meanwhile in the family room, Sephora, Venus, Jupiter, Mai and Selene were discussing the recent fight. Both Ryou and Bakura had immediately left when the subject was raised, showing no interest in their gossip.

Jupiter sighed, taking a small bite from the cookie in her hand. "He was pretty angry."

Venus rolled her eyes. "Oh please, the mortal got all bent out of shape because Téa accused him of being selfish, which he was!"

Selene sighed. "Was he?"

Sephora nodded. "Of course he was! He used the Soul Sphere..."

"To save the woman he loved. Would you not do the same for Yukai?" Selene asked.

"Uh... well I..." Sephora stuttered.

Selene turned her eyes to Venus. "What about you, Venus? You have strong feelings for another; if put into the situation would you not do everything in your power to save them?"

Venus frowned. "I suppose so... but, you can't justify him stealing the Soul Sphere like that, can you, Holy one?"

Selene cocked her head to one side for a moment. "I do not approve of Nick's course of action I am merely saying that his actions are understandable. Any of us in a similar position might have been forced to do the same without regard for the consequences."

The room went silent for a few moments before Jupiter spoke, "You think it's over between them?" Selene, Sephora and Venus looked down, frowning. "Honestly Téa is better off with him. Nick doesn't deserve her one bit."

Sephora crossed her arms over herself. "I hope not. I haven't known them as long as the rest of you but they seem to be deeply connected to each other." Jupiter and Venus laughed a little, raising Sephora's hackles. "What's so funny?"

Selene cut in before Jupiter and Venus could explain. "They are laughing because you are more correct than you are aware. As you know, Nicholas King is the reincarnated avatar of Pharaoh Atem's bodyguard, Phoenix, except he was born as a slave. One day while pulling a cart of stock to the local market for his owner, he noticed a beautiful woman about to be attacked by thieves. Phoenix saved her but was whipped by his owner until she stopped him. The woman banished the slave owner and brought the unconscious Phoenix to her home. This place was the palace of Pharaoh Atem and the woman was his wife, Queen Anzu, known in our time as Téa Gardner."

Sephora's eyes widened. "You're saying those two have known each other for three thousand years?" She turned her head to stare at both Jupiter and Venus. "How did you two know about their relationship? I never heard about it."

Jupiter leaned back in her seat, shrugging. "You never paid attention to the stories Artemis told when she returned from Egypt. Selene, if you may continue?"

Selene nodded. "Of course, child. After recovering from his wounds Phoenix was presented to Pharaoh Atem and told of his efforts to protect his wife. Impressed, Atem made him part of his personal guard. This is where he got the name Phoenix as the date of his birth and the date he rescued Anzu was the day of the phoenix..."

"Wait, Phoenix didn't have a name before then?" Mai asked, confused.

Selene shook her head. "His mother was a slave who died in labour, his father was never known to him, possibly a trader of some description from a foreign land. Phoenix had never known the love of his mother and was put up for sale as soon as he was able to walk. He was treated unspeakably by his owners, including the one he belonged to before coming into the service of the pharaoh. He never became a free man, even while serving as the pharaoh's bodyguard."

"So... why does Atem hate Nick so much?" Mai asked, scratching her head.

"Ostensibly, Phoenix was Atem's bodyguard, but in practice he was much closer to being Anzu's bodyguard for two reasons. As you know Artemis was in Egypt at the time serving as Atem's bodyguard and Anzu preferred Phoenix's company over her own guards."

A snort disrupted her tale as Jupiter looked bored out of her mind. "I know where this is going," she said in a sing-song voice. Venus lightly jabbed her abdomen to show she was disrespecting the Holy Guardian.

Ignoring her, Selene sipped her tea and continued, "The Millennium Items that were supposed to ensure peace and security for Egypt and its allies worked well at keeping the peace to a point. The heart of man has always been tainted with the lust for power and money and, being the richest nation on Earth at the time, Egypt was constantly challenged. Atem and Artemis were forced to leave the court in Anzu's hands to go fight. Whether or not Atem and Artemis became intimately involved during that time is something only they can answer, we never were sure."

"Artemis made a vow of celibacy. I'm amazed even your seemingly vast knowledge didn't know that part with the way you're describing this story." Jupiter stood from her seat, brushing off the cookie crumbs from her clothes. "If you'll excuse me." With a mocking glare, she left the room.

Selene didn't know what to make of her behavior but she pressed on. "The war went on for some time, keeping Atem at the front for months on end. It was during the second period of extended fighting that Phoenix and Anzu shared a kiss..."

_The meeting ended and the councilmen bowed to the queen, she bowed respectfully back to them and left._

_"Phoenix, you've not spoken all day?" Anzu said in the form of a question as they walked down a corridor towards her chamber._

_"I have little to say, mistress." Phoenix responded curtly._

_"Why are you acting this way to me?" Anzu asked, sharply turning to face him. Immediately Phoenix averted his eyes._

_"Mistress—" Phoenix began but Anzu cut him off._

_"Tell me why you're acting this way to me, I thought we were friends and you called me by my name, remember!" Anzu spat angrily in the now deserted corridor._

_"I am sworn with the duty to be your bodyguard, Mistress, anything more is beyond my purview." Phoenix answered, insisting they walk on._

_Anzu began walking beside him again but still pressed, "Your duty is to protect the pharaoh and the queen; it is your duty to keep them safe and well."_

_"My duty is to keep you safe, Mistress, well as the duty of the high priest and his potions." Phoenix countered._

_"Is this because of the other day?" Anzu questioned. Phoenix became unnervingly silent._

_Before Anzu could pressure him further they arrived at the entry way to her chamber. Anzu began to walk onward to the door of her chamber but stopped, realizing Phoenix, not unlike the previous days, was not beside her._

_"I request that you escort me to the door of my chamber." Anzu said, standing in the hallway._

_Slowly Phoenix walked towards her until he was at her side, Anzu began moving forward again, Phoenix a step behind her. They stopped at the door to her chamber and she turned her back to the door to face him. He stood with his jade eyes locked on Anzu's face. Anzu smiled, stroking his cheek._

_"Mistress." He said in a fearful whisper, grabbing her hand. Anzu pulled it towards her, kissing the back gently._

_Anzu moved towards him, the scent of apricot nectar on her skin was alluring for Phoenix as she moved closer in towards him._

_Gently, Anzu slipped her hand behind his neck and pulled him slowly into a kiss. After several seconds they broke, Anzu allowing Phoenix to linger for a moment longer before pulling away slightly._

_Phoenix was silent, staring into Anzu's blue eyes. "We shouldn't." He whispered._

_"I know." Anzu responded, pulling Phoenix into a more passionate and lasting kiss. This time Phoenix gently placed his hands upon her waist, letting Anzu's body rest against the intricately carved door. They broke the kiss long enough for Anzu to pull Phoenix into her chambers, the door closing with authority behind them._

The three Guardians and Mai blushed significantly, hearing the details of the love life of two people they both knew and had been dead for three thousand years. Mai laughed a little. "Wow... Now I get it, she left the pharaoh for a bodyguard."

It was Selene's turn to laugh. "Not exactly. Anzu was bound to the pharaoh for life, as was Phoenix. They weren't allowed to leave him, even if he knew what they were doing. Anzu and Phoenix continued their affair in secret even after Atem and Artemis returned. Everyone in the palace knew of their relationship but no one told the pharaoh. He was deeply in love with his wife and believed she was with him. The relationship continued in secret for almost two years..."

"Until?" Venus pressed.

A snickering drew everyone's attention to the door of the room, Bakura and Ryou entered. "Until me, dear Venus."

Mai scowled. "What did you do?"

Bakura laughed, falling into a chair. "I found out about the bodyguard's affair with the pharaoh's beloved queen and tried to blackmail him. If he let me into the vault holding the treasures of the former Pharaoh Akunhadin, I would not let it get back to the pharaoh he was having sex with his wife."

Ryou's eyes widened. "Phoenix was the one who let you into the vault?"

Bakura rolled his eyes. "No, that I had to do on my own. The stupid boy decided to spill his guts rather than let me blackmail him. As I hear it the pharaoh was furious." Bakura responded, satisfied.

Selene sighed. "Yes, once Phoenix had revealed his part in their relationship the pharaoh banished him into the dungeons where his former owner was waiting. Phoenix was tortured and whipped countless times as punishment for his affair with Anzu."

"What was Anzu's punishment?" Sephora asked.

"Being forced to watch." Bakura answered, the humour gone from his tone. "They were fools, both of them."

Venus frowned. "This has a happy ending, right? They run away and live happily ever after?"

Selene shook her head. "I wish I could say that; however, it was not the case. After a month of being tortured at the hands of his former master, Anzu decided to act. With the help of one of her guards they broke Phoenix out of his cell and tried to escape the city, intending to ride to Alexandria and take a boat to what is now called Greece. They only made it a few dozen kilometres out of the city before Atem and his guards caught up with them. They were returned to the palace where a worse fate awaited them."

Venus gasped. "Death?"

Bakura smiled ironically. "They certainly wished it had been that."

"No, child. Phoenix was made Anzu's personal bodyguard but if he ever touched her, if he ever came within a certain distance of her. If they ever spoke, he would be executed. The brother of the high priest was made the special observer to their relationship so that if they broke the rules he would report it back to the pharaoh."

Sephora sighed sadly. "So, they never got to be together again?"

Selene smiled gently. "No... Eventually Phoenix moved on and found another, a woman, a prophetess..." She glanced over towards Mai. "Named Amira, they eventually married. However, that relationship did not end well."

Venus groaned. "What kind of mirrors did this guy break!"

"She was murdered by a thief who cut her throat while Phoenix was at a festival with the pharaoh and Anzu. We believe that may be a lie." Selene elaborated, as everyone leaned closer, even Bakura. "A rumour that went around the court shortly after contended that Phoenix and Anzu gave into their passion one last time and in a rage after discovering this information Atem sent an assassin to his home to murder his wife. No one ever found out the truth as a few days later..."

"I entered the palace, dragging his dear father's remains in behind me. In an effort to protect the pharaoh, Phoenix engaged my Diabound in battle using his Magician of Black Chaos. He lost and was killed in the battle." Bakura explained.

Selene cut in, "Phoenix's soul was sealed within the golden container that would be used to house the pharaoh's Puzzle shortly after. Originally it was going to contain the heart of his beloved Anzu, but those plans were changed by Pharaoh Seto after Atem's death. As for Anzu... she died of a broken heart in the time during Atem's fight against Zorc Necrophades."

"So, what, is their relationship based on nothing else but the fact they're the reincarnations of the pharaoh's wife and bodyguard?" Sephora asked.

Selene smiled. "Téa asked the same thing while still under Artemis's control. No, the bond Téa and Nick share is one that has its roots in their past lives but even a bond that strong can't survive three thousand years. They love each other for who they are now, not who they once were. The people they were three thousand years ago are significantly different from the people they are now."

Bakura chuckled. "Indeed. I believe it's something about growing up in this age. Her highness was much more demure and the bodyguard was loyal to the idiot pharaoh to a fault."

At this point Mai left the Guardians, Ryou and Bakura to chat, walking outside for a moment. Pondering the story Selene had told something inside her stirred, the words _prophetess _and _Amira_ felt oddly familiar as if connected to her in some way. Clenching her fists, Mai threw an angry glance up towards the room Mai knew Téa was sleeping in. She shook her head. "You're a fool, Téa... Someone should make you regret what you've done."

* * *

In Elysium after several hours of walking, Yugi emerged into a forest clearing. He called his group to a halt, "Let's take a break."

Nodding in agreement, the group found a small area in which to rest. Yugi dropped down beside Luna, lying back on the grass for a moment before sitting up. "Do you have any idea where we should look?" Luna took a sip of her water and pointed into the distance. Yugi peered over her shoulder towards a far off mountain range that was just visible through the mist. Yugi glanced back at Luna. "Why there?"

Luna was almost transfixed by the mountain as she spoke, "Many of Elysium's most powerful magical objects were mined from that mountain range. It has the single strongest source of mystical energy in this world. All magic users are drawn to it at some stage of their lives and a great many dragon nests are nestled in amongst the caves and alcoves along our route."

At this news Pluto paled a bit. Dragons were fearsome and mighty creatures, just one alone could overpower a Guardian should they be careless in a fight. Still, they were sacred to his family as a symbol of their raw power. "Real dragons…?"

Luna grinned. She enjoyed the look Pluto had as the rest of the group puzzled over his reaction. "Yes, real dragons with teeth and fangs that breathe very, very hot fire."

Horus looked from the mountains back to Luna. "How long will it take us to get there?"

She shrugged. "A couple of days depending on how fast we are. We'll have to stop at Ismene for supplies before beginning to scale the range."

"After we reach the mountains and begin searching, how long do you think it will take us to find them?" Kaiba asked.

"If they're even there." Serenity pointed out to which Kaiba nodded.

Luna laughed. "Assuming they're there and they want to be found, it could take us weeks. The problem isn't just the mountain range, it's the tunnels and caverns that snake through the structure of the mountains. Some are manmade but a lot of them aren't. Even if your Guardians are there, we could spend months looking for them and not find them, that is, if they don't want to be found."

Yugi scowled determinedly. "No, we'll find them before Artemis does. I'm not letting her kill any more of my friends. I won't let it happen, not again." He pulled himself to his feet, screwing the top of his water container closed and swinging it over his shoulder. "Let's get going, we've got a lot of ground to cover. We have to make it into the mountains before the Millennium Guardians find out what we're up to."

Reluctantly the other seven nodded, rising to their feet. Luna pointed to a gap in the trees and Yugi proceeded forward. Pluto, Mars, Fiona and Kaiba lingered for a moment before starting to follow. Kaiba glanced over at Pluto, scowling. "What is with the looks you're giving Yugi?"

Pluto gave him a feigning innocent expression. To add to his charade, he lifted his hands defensively. "I wasn't giving him a look."

Fiona rolled her eyes. "Come on Pluto, we could all see it, well except for Yugi. You've been looking at him oddly for hours, what's up?"

Pluto sighed. "Fine, if you must know I'm worried. His outburst after we left the warp tunnel was uncharacteristic. For him to become near violent with a woman we assume he's in love with concerns me greatly."

Kaiba frowned. "This has happened before..."

Pluto smiled slightly. "You remember?" Mars and Fiona exchanged confused looks so Pluto explained, "At the start of the Dark Crisis Artemis was injured by Stella and lapsed into a coma. During the coma she was visited by Sonja who altered her mind and made her believe we were against her. It took Yugi defeating her in a Shadow Duel to return her to our side."

Mars blinked. "But I thought Sonja was on our side this time?"

Pluto groaned. "Of course she is! Do you think that a lowly Titan is the only Guardian in existence that can alter someone's mind?"

At Pluto's remark Fiona bristled. "Who are you calling a lowly Titan? We're just as good as any Genesis or Millennium Guardian. If it weren't for Uranus gathering our brothers and sisters to save your sorry asses back in New York you'd be dead, _again_!"

Before Pluto could retort Kaiba silenced him with a look. "What Pluto is getting at is that he thinks Artemis has pulled the same trick Sonja did during the Dark Crisis. I don't know if she has, Yugi has been under considerable stress for the last couple of months. He has the weight of five worlds and billions of people on his mind, his reaction could be stress."

Pluto scowled. "And what if it's not?"

Kaiba turned to him, frowning. "If it's not, then we'll stop him. Whatever it takes we will stop Artemis and Yugi from plunging the five worlds into Eternal Darkness."


	43. Don't Smile, I'm Scared

Chapter 43: Don't Smile, I'm Scared

Afternoon was quickly turning into evening in the Long Island suburb of Kings Park. Mai, who had been lying under a tree enjoying the clear skies and sunshine, re-entered the house. As she walked up through the dining room she noted Joey walking up the stairs, carrying leftovers from lunch for Téa she guessed.

Passing the family room where Sephora, Jupiter, Venus and Selene were still talking, she stopped at the entrance to the lounge room and peered in watching Nick. He stood before the butcher's paper prophecy tablet with his hand on the top of his head, the other one resting on his hip. Kisara was resting her chin on her palm, watching him, also a small frown creasing her lips. Mai smiled, entering the room and resting her head on his shoulder. "What's up, hon?"

Nick sighed. "It's stopped making sense... It's gone from making sense to just gibberish. We've got half a translation... random words that don't fit together into sentences." He walked forward, pointing at the words with his marker. "Crimson, darkness, Guardians, Ra, blood, shatters, allies and Eternal Night. That's it..." He finished, tapping on various photos on the board. Walking back he fell into his captain's chair, sighing.

The blonde walked over and began rubbing his shoulders as Nick exhaled, his head flopping limply against the back of the chair while his eyes were closed. Mai ignored the sour expression Kisara was casting in her direction.

"You'll figure it out, I'm sure these words go in some sort of order, you just need to find the key to unlock the secret." Mai mused sympathetically, continuing to rub his shoulders.

Nick smiled, slipping into a pleasurable stoper. "Yeah, a key... a..." He sat up, his brain almost visibly turning over rapidly inside his head and he faced Mai. "What did you just say?"

Mai blinked, looking slightly alarmed. "I-I said you'd figure..."

Nick shook his head. "No, no the last part."

"You just need a key..." She began.

Nick jumped out of his chair, pacing up and down. "A key, a cipher, of course, how could I be that stupid! It makes perfect sense!"

Kisara and Mai exchanged confused looks. "How does a cipher make perfect sense?" Mai asked.

Kisara cleared her throat. "A cipher is a code that unlocks secret messages some people might not want others to be able to read."

The blonde scowled. "I know what a cipher is, I just want to know why it—mmmm!" Mai's question was cut off mid-sentence by Nick's hot and passionate kiss to her lips. Her hands immediately went to his waist pulling him closer to her body. Lust wrapped itself around Mai's brain, overriding the common sense notion that this was her best friend's fiancée regardless of their fight and it was really bad idea. It took Mai about ten seconds to realize Nick had actually broken this kiss but only one to realize she desperately wanted more.

Nick had turned away from her, considering the board and scratching the back of his head. "Noah! I need you." He yelled.

A moment later the avatar of the middle Kaiba brother materialised between Nick and Mai. "What do you need?"

"I need to see an array of the digital photos Yugi took in the Icarus cavern." Nick explained, grabbing his glasses from the top of a pile of books. Noah nodded and the array Nick had requested formed in front of him. Nick frowned, studying the photos one by one and casting ones he couldn't use aside. Finally he stopped and touched a photo that caught his notice. "I need this blown up."

"How big?"

"As big as possible, height of the wall, please."

Noah complied, graphing the image against the back wall while obscuring the butcher's paper behind it. Nick licked his lips, blowing out some air from his mouth as he took slow steps back from the tablet. Noah, Mai and Kisara waited silently for him to speak. He took his eyes off the tablet and looked towards Noah. "Can you run the tablet photo through different light ranges?"

Noah nodded. "The full range."

"Do it please." Nick requested.

Noah disappeared, after a moment the room lights dimmed and the tablet began to flash against the exposure to different waves of light. Those that weren't visible to the human eye were collected onto the array that was still visible beside Nick's chair. Once it was finished the lights returned to their normal illumination level and Noah reappeared with a smile on his face.

Nick returned the smile. "What?" Noah walked over to Nick's seat and brought up a picture overlaying against the tablet. Nick walked forward, seeing what Noah was observing. "Are you sure?"

Noah nodded. "You were right; the cipher was buried underneath the text, carved and then filled in again. It was barely a micro-metre of indentation but it was there."

"Haven't given into Americanisation yet then?"

"Never, it's metric or nothing."

Nick chuckled. "Quite right, too. I need the print out as soon as you can get it."

Noah nodded. "I'll send Mokuba down with it as soon as he and Kiki stop making kissy face." He responded before disappearing.

Mai's head shot up. "Wait... they're making kissy face! I mean they're making out?"

Nick rolled his eyes. "Had to happen eventually."

The blonde shook her head, grabbing Nick's hand to get his attention. "Can we talk outside?"

Nick shrugged. He then turned to Kisara, who had her eyes set on a book she was reading before she drew her attention to him. "Uh, sure. Back in a minute."

Kisara nodded passively, but as soon as they were gone she frowned. Having only been around these people a short time Kisara didn't feel it was her place to pry, but she knew what Mai was after was wrong. Even someone who'd seen them together for a few hours could tell the bond between Téa and Nick was special, a love that occurred once a lifetime.

Despite the fact that they had gone straight back to work, despite the fact they hadn't spoken about it Kisara knew Nick was dying inside. Working together days on end in close quarters gives you an insight into a person's mind and she could tell how much he loved Téa. The way his eyes lit up whenever her name was mentioned, he also pumped himself up a little whenever she was around as if the fact she was already deeply in love with him wasn't enough, he still wanted to try and impress her.

She snapped out of her reverie when she heard footsteps stomping out from the hall. Curiously, Kisara decided to take a break and go in search of the footsteps. She barely caught the sandy-blonde ponytail belonging to Jupiter as the Guardian entered a room carrying with her a laptop. Making her way to the room, Kisara could hear Jupiter talking to another person, but as she took a peek she found Jupiter speaking directly to the laptop.

On Jupiter's side, the device was giving her a live video feed from Animus. There on the screen was Saturn, the Guardian left behind to tend to cleaning duties imposed by Uranus. Jupiter could tell he was worn out by the look of his eyes. Even his hair and clothes were unkempt.

"You look quite pissed," Saturn said at last. He noticed Jupiter shuddered; he was always good at reading body language which aided him during battle to tell enemy signs before strategizing the best course of action.

A deep sigh followed. "What I wouldn't give for being there on Animus with you. I mean I also caused some damage to the palace." Jupiter bit her lip, trying to avoid the edge in her voice.

Saturn only stared at her, not fully understanding what she meant. "Trust me you don't. Gaia hasn't been pulling her share, and she's whole lot stronger than I am! Although from the blueprints she drew up, I think she wants to redesign the entire courtyard."

Jupiter chuckled. She then heard a disgruntled voice and saw a pair of tan feminine muscular arms pushing Saturn aside. "Well, speak of the devil."

"We've got work to do." Gaia looked angrily towards Saturn. She held up a stack of lumber over her shoulder and pointed to another stack for Saturn to pick up. "It was nice seeing you, Jupiter. Unfortunately the chit-chat needs to be cut short."

"Come now, you know she has to put up with both Venus and Sephora," a male voice joined in. Both Saturn and Gaia turned to face the direction of the voice, allowing the person some space so Jupiter could see. Zephyrus waved his hand at the screen. "I'm not occupied with anything right now so you two can go off."

Saturn quickly whispered something to him that Jupiter couldn't hear. He shot her a smile before bidding her farewell as did Gaia and they left their two companions alone.

"So I've been informed that something's been bothering you," Zephyrus said.

Jupiter jumped a little from her chair. Apparently Saturn had told him to continue their conversation. She knew there was no way out of it as Zephyrus was a good interrogator thanks to his occupation of working with the Animus court system. He was the only member of the Final Five who easily found work while his colleagues Stella, Athena and Vulcan had no choice but to be given assignments by Uranus.

Lowering her head, Jupiter could tell Zephyrus was concerned. "You remember Joey Wheeler, right?" The response given was a nod. "His behavior lately… it disturbs me."

Zephyrus leaned a bit closer to the screen. He had heard recently from Tyche that Joey had received his Neo Guardian, yet he knew that couldn't have been what Jupiter was referring to.

"He's beginning to remind me of Yukai," she said. Her nails scrapped against the table as she awaited Zephyrus's reply.

"You don't mean…" Zephyrus didn't want to say it. He knew the subject matter was difficult to talk about, especially to Jupiter.

"I fear of what stupid things Joey would do. He's with Téa as we speak."

Kisara clung closely to the doorframe as she overheard their conversation. Just what was Jupiter meaning?

"It's bad enough he was possessive of his sister but now he's playing the 'best friend' to Téa after she and Nick had an argument."

Pondering over his thoughts, Zephyrus could only imagine her frustration. "And no one seems to give a damn about it? Have you at least spoke to Venus and Sephora about this?"

"No. They're more concerned over the latest argument, being the gossipers that they are." Jupiter crossed her arms together. "Ugh, the fact that neither one were bothered with Yukai's advances to Artemis gets on my nerves. During the Final Battle, he tried using the best friend ploy to gain her favor in the war."

"I'm thankful Artemis never fell for Yukai's deception when she and I broke up. He only saw her as property, nothing more."

Jupiter smiled. "I know you treated Artemis well. It's just unfortunate that Yukai's jealousy got the better of him."

Suddenly Kisara burst into the room, worry written all over her face. She had startled Jupiter in to jumping off her chair while Zephyrus yelled for her. "I'm sorry for intruding, but are you under the impression Joey is jealous of Nick for having gained Téa's love?"

Recovering from her fall, Jupiter gripped the table before puffing at a stray strand of her hair. She then turned the laptop around to face its screen in Kisara's direction for Zephyrus to see what scared her. "Why else is he alone with her?"

"How strange. Joey never seemed interested in her until now," Zephyrus said.

"He seems pretty good at hiding his feelings, even to his own friends." All she remembered of him was a man who took whatever risks were thrown at him. Jupiter even admired his dedication to Serenity, something akin to the Guardians who generally bonded with each other.

Again Kisara wasn't familiarized with all of Yugi's friends so she wasn't sure if she was right or wrong about Joey's character. She saw him as goofy kind of person contrasting the stoic Kaiba. Mokuba had told her that his older brother had gone so far as ordering him to make sure Joey was late for the KC Grand Championship to disqualify him, but Mokuba never followed through. This example showed her that these two hadn't been on the best terms in the past. How Jupiter thought Joey was the jealous type was a complete mystery to her.

"Just watch him." Jupiter walked towards her, placing a hand on Kisara's shoulder. "I'm picking up bad vibes from him and they're making my skin crawl."

* * *

Leading Nick through to a spot just beside the back door, Mai turned to him, pursing her lips. Nick lent against the wall, crossing his arms. "What's up, Mai?"

Mai raised her eyebrow. "I thought you'd be able to guess."

Nick raised his head a little. "Ah, that."

Mai nodded. "Yeah, it got pretty intense in there earlier."

Nick sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah... look, Mai, I'm..."

Mai put her hands on his chest and kissed Nick on the forehead. "You don't have to talk about it right now, but we should. How about I come to your room later tonight when everything is quiet? I'll bring some whiskey and we can wile away the hours till sunrise getting stupid."

Nick smiled a little. "Just like the old days?"

Mai smirked, leaning into his ear. "Only if you want it that way." She whispered, sliding her hand off his arm and walking back into the house.

Nick's expression became unreadable, he looked upwards towards the second story where his... where Téa had spent the day since their argument. Clenching his fist, Nick found himself wishing he'd never been dragged into this mess. A part of him wished he had never gotten on that damned boat to Duellist Kingdom eight years ago.

Sliding down the wall into a sitting position, Nick wondered about the things that would be different as afternoon slowly slid into night. If he had never boarded the boat he would never have met Yugi and the others. He wouldn't have gotten dragged into Battle City, well not in the way he was. He might have competed; he might have won as well. What is certain is, he would never have confronted Marik during their period being held by Noah which led to the creation of Shadow Phoenix. If Shadow Phoenix wasn't created, it would have never led to the events in New York that drew Artemis's and Pluto's attention. He would have never died saving Yugi and Téa from a drunk driver. Which meant none of his adventures with Yugi and the Guardians would have happened.

At that moment Sephora appeared at the door, she was about to step outside when she noticed Nick sitting on the ground beside the step. She dropped down to sit next to him. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Nick smiled a little. "More than one."

"What are you thinking about?"

Nick opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to find the right words but in the end decided to come right out and say it. "I'm trying to decide if my life would have been better if I had made a different choice."

"Just one?"

Nick nodded. "It was one of those moments in your life that influence every other moment afterwards. Honestly, on balance I think the decision I made has done more harm than good... I mean, in my regular life I'm the one who makes all the decisions. I hold the fate of the people around me in my hands. When I'm here... I'm just a bit player, window dressing to the performance art that is Yugi's life. Nothing I've done since Artemis revived me has made a damn bit of difference to the outcome of either situation. I don't even know why I'm here anymore..."

Sephora frowned, watching Nick rage silently in frustration. He stood up, dusting the snow from his pants and walked around her to re-enter the house. "Are you leaving?"

Nick shook his head. "Not yet, Yugi asked me to do a job, I'm going to damn well finish it."

"What about after that?" Sephora asked.

Nick shrugged. "After that I'm going back to my life, it's not like I'm going to be missed."

Sephora shook her head. "You'd be surprised."

* * *

Even later, Téa sat on Joey's bed tearing small pieces of chicken from lunch off the breast, nibbling on it slowly. Joey sat at the end of the bed watching her carefully, afraid any second she would descend back into tears. Téa looked up into his eyes and smiled a little. "You don't have to treat me like I'm made of porcelain, Joey. I'm not going to shatter."

Joey smiled back. "So, you're feeling better?"

Téa nodded. Joey had brought her to his room after her argument with Nick. The bout of sobbing had been followed by a bout of vomiting, she knew it was too early for morning sickness but the stress was adversely affecting her body and it wasn't good for the baby. Téa placed her hand on her stomach, rubbing it gently. "I'm sorry, honey."

Joey frowned, staring at her stomach and he looked up to catch her eye. "Don't apologise for him, Téa, if he had any guts he'd be up here right now apologising and grovelling for you to take him back."

Téa laughed. "Joey, if you think Nick is going to grovel on his hands and knees apologising for his behaviour, you don't know him very well."

Joey shook his head. "Nah, I don't want to either. He treats you like dirt, he cheats on you, he drinks and I bet he hits you as well."

Téa was taken aback by Joey's accusations; she had to restrain herself from slapping him. "Joseph Wheeler, never say that again! You have no idea what Nick's like. In fact if you actually took your time to get to know him you'd probably like him!" Téa pulled her shirt open, throwing it on the bed and spinning around. "Do you see any marks, do you see bruises? Do you seriously think I would stay with a man that hit me?" Téa yelled angrily at him, picking up her shirt and putting it back on.

Joey opened and closed his mouth, looking suitably subdued. Téa scowled. "Whatever problems we're having you do not get to accuse him of that kind of behaviour. I don't care how I feel he's nothing like your father."

Joey flinched as Téa fell back onto the bed. "You still love him?"

Téa closed her eyes, tearing up slightly. "Of course I do, Joey... It started out as an argument about something boneheaded he did and kind of spiralled out of control... Before I knew it I'd slapped him. I've never done that before, to him at least. He made me so angry..."

Joey's head sunk. "How long had you two been broken up for?"

"Alex? Oh, um..." Téa sighed, stirring bad memories inside her head. "Oooh, a month, maybe two..."

"What was that fight about?"

Téa laughed. "What do people who've been living together for six years fight about, dirty dishes. Work left everywhere. It wasn't anything in particular; we just had big argument and vented everything. I walked out in a huff. He tried to warn me, but I was being stupid and stubborn."

Joey sat up, sliding over to sit beside her. "What happened?"

Téa smiled bitterly. "I left Nick and moved in with Alex, for the first couple of weeks it was really nice. I made some new friends I got a job and things were great."

Joey frowned. "And then?"

Téa shrugged. "Then... she, she just started seeming angrier. Every day was a new fight... every day I did something wrong. We'd kiss and make up and she'd promise never to it again but she kept doing it. She started hitting me... Then I told her... I-I told her..."

Téa shivered in terror at the memory, Joey put his arms around her. "It's just a memory, Téa, it can't hurt you anymore."

"I told her I was leaving, I told her I didn't love her and I needed to get away before something serious happened..." Téa laughed ironically. "Something serious definitely happened..."

_Téa Gardner sat shivering in the triage ward of the Royal Adelaide Hospital. She'd been there for an hour at least sitting in the small reception area along with the other minor cases that had filtered in on this bitterly cold and rainy Saturday night. The room had a very beige colouring, the furniture and architecture looking as if it hadn't been updated since the 1970's. Aside from the metallic tang of blood in her mouth she could also taste the slight antiseptic slightly iodine smell that hung in the air. Wrapping herself tighter in the soggy coat she'd bought from an op-shop the other week, she shivered both in cold and pain, her left eye had nearly swollen shut; the part that was visible was blood shot. Téa could feel the bruises around her mouth beginning to ache, she was relieved that Alex hadn't broken her jaw. Téa was also relieved she'd managed to get out of the apartment before Alex had carried out her threat of cutting her up with a knife. Reaching up she gingerly felt her scalp, wincing as she realized Alex had managed to pull some of her hair out._

_She glanced over towards the desk, wondering when they would call her name. She wanted to get this over with, get some stitches and some pills and then get out of here. She realized then that she had nowhere to go; the realization hit her like a brick wall, or Alex she wasn't sure which hit harder. Breaking up with Nick had been hard on her, losing all the friends she'd made in the four and a half years she'd been living in Adelaide had been harder. At first they respected her decision to break up with him, most did anyway but as time went on and they began to see how Alex treated her they started to voice their concerns going so far as to organise an intervention. Rejecting it had been their last straw, that was two months ago. Curling up onto the seat Téa felt a tear roll down her cheek, knowing she had no one left, no money, no friends she could turn to for help. For the first time in her life she was completely alone._

"_Excuse me, miss?" A small voice asked, breaking Téa out of her self-loathing. Looking up Téa met the eyes of a six year old girl; she smiled holding a piece of paper and a pen in her hand. "Are you Téa Gardner, the dancer?"_

_Téa smiled as best she could. "I sure am, what can I do for you, honey?"_

_The girl timidly gave Téa the piece of paper and pen. "Could I have your autograph?"_

_Téa smiled again. "Sure." She responded, taking the paper and pen and signing her name._

"_You know Nick King, don't you?"_

_Téa nodded. "Yeah, I used to."_

"_My big sister says you're really lucky because she thinks he's pretty." The little girl explained, taking back the paper and pen._

_Téa smiled. "Is that what you think?"_

_The girl screwed up her nose. "Ew, no, he's a boy, boys are yuck! Thank you."_

_The girl skipped away happily as Téa's smile faded considering what she'd said. "Nick..." Téa smiled a little. "He can be a bit yuck sometimes... but... I need him." She told herself, tearing up again._

_Pulling herself up Téa approached the public phone at the back of the room. Picking up the receiver she dialled the number of the Hyatt apartments, praying she would get someone who would let her call through to Nick in the Penthouse, if he was even there._

"_Hyatt apartments, Niles speaking." Niles, Nick's personal butler and chauffeur, answered to Téa's relief._

"_H-hi, Niles, it's Téa, Téa Gardner."_

_She could hear him frown through the phone. "Téa, you shouldn't be calling here. Not after everything that's happened."_

"_I-I know, Niles... but, please I need to speak to him. Please, I'm in a lot of trouble and I need him." Téa responded, thirty seconds past with only silence on the other side of the line. She bit her lip. "Please, he's the only one that can help me."_

_A few more seconds past before Niles responded, "Hold the line."_

_Before Téa could say thank you the line went silent, Téa's heart sank wondering if she'd been hung up on. Moments later the line picked up again. "Hello, Nick speaking?"_

_Her heart swelled like a balloon at hearing his voice. "H-hi, Nick." She responded meekly._

"_Téa? Is that you?"_

"_Y-yeah... Nick, I-I need you... I've done something really stupid and I need your help..." Téa responded, descending into a sobbing fit._

"_Where are you?" He asked without a second thought._

"_The RAH... the triage ward of the RAH. Nick, Nick, are you... there?" She asked, looking at the phone, sometime during her response he'd hung up. Téa stared at the phone, limply sinking into the seat beside it. If she'd felt alone before it was nothing compared to how she felt now. She curled up in the chair as tears rolled down her face, trying to fight off sinking into complete hysterics._

_Ten minutes later having sunken into a stupor she was roused by a commotion at the reception desk. "Look, I'm not asking you to reveal the name of every patient in the hospital I'm just looking for one person!" A familiar voice argued with the nurse._

"_Sir, unless you're family I can't give out any information on any patient in this hospital. That's the end of the conversation!"_

_Nick scowled, shaking his head. "Right, we'll see about... that..." He responded, stopping mid-sentence as he spotted Téa, bruised batted and shivering in a seat near the back of the room. His mixed look of absolute horror and delight at seeing her confirmed her suspicion that she looked as bad as she felt as he ran over to her. "Téa... what... happened to you?"_

"_I, Alex, she... Nick..." Was Téa's broken response to his question, falling against his shirt, sobbing. Nick gathered her in his arms, gently pulling her bag over his shoulder before lifting her. "What, where are we going?"_

_Nick smiled, kissing Téa's forehead, "Home, I'm bringing you home."_

Téa smiled a little. "He took me home, got me a doctor who fixed me up. My broken eye socket didn't turn out to be that bad; I had to be really careful but after a few weeks it healed and I was all mended."

"What about Alex?" Joey asked.

Téa licked her lips, frowning. "I've never heard from her again. She, um, disappeared."

Joey blinked. "Disappeared?"

Téa nodded forcefully. "Yes Joey, she disappeared. Sometimes things are just better left unasked."

Joey relented and nodded. "Do you want me to go with you?"

Téa shook her head. "No, that's ok, Joey; I think we just need to talk things out. I'll be fine."

Kissing Joey on the forehead, Téa slid off the bed and walked from his room to the one she shared with Nick. The rooms were soundproofed so Téa saw no point trying to announce herself. Turning the handle Téa opened the door a fraction, peering inside, she immediately regretted that decision.

Instead of finding Nick asleep or reading she found him naked, straddled by an also naked and moaning Mai Valentine. Her large and ample breasts jiggled freely in the cool air as Mai threw her head back to elicit a sensual and seductive moan, running a free hand down between her breasts and down her stomach. Coming to her senses her head dropped back to look Téa in the eyes, an arrogant smirk passed Mai's lips seeing the heartbroken and shattered expression on Téa's face.

Shutting the door as silently as she could she slid down the wall, anger replacing any thought of crying for now. Téa scowled, the image of Mai's smirking face burning against her retinas. Picking herself off the floor, Téa straightened her shirt, squared her shoulders and walked away back to Joey's room.

* * *

The sounds of yelling echoed inside the location the Millennium Guardians had currently occupied. Orpheus stood outside the doorway leading to a room both Nidoki and Forseti were in. The yells were coming from Forseti and Orpheus couldn't help but listen to his cries of agony as if they were music. Unfortunately Nidoki's shrill voice ruined most of it so he ventured into the room to check what was going on.

"Nidoki, leave him to his screaming. Don't you hear how beautiful it sounds?" Orpheus said as he approached the bed holding Forseti.

Forseti looked up and glared at his older brother. "I can arrange something much lovelier once I beat you to a bloody pulp!"

Orpheus ignored his threat, preferring to watch as Nidoki attempted to wrap a makeshift stilt around Forseti's broken leg. "Shame Diabound hadn't chopped off that leg." He laid a hand upon the injured limb before he dug his nails deeply enough to draw out blood. "I would have enjoyed devouring it."

Frantically, Forseti lashed at Orpheus using his arms until Nidoki broke them apart. She gave them both a hard look as Orpheus licked his fingers of the blood.

"What's going on?" Erebus asked. He and Lucifer walked into the room, wondering about the commotion.

"Oh nothing." Orpheus smiled at them, but both Erebus and Lucifer were mildly disturbed by how calm he appeared.

Nidoki leaned closer to Forseti, resting her head against his chest. "Orpheus was just being hungry again. I do not blame him since our weakened brother is very enticing enough to _eat_."

Lucifer blinked. He knew their odd behavior was due to the fact that their bloodlust wasn't completely satisfied. They were craving badly and taking it out on Forseti as a result.

Erebus walked closer to the bed, staring angrily at Forseti. "You have something of mine," he said.

"I don't know what you mean!" Forseti looked on nervously before Erebus grabbed him by the neck. "I get it, I get it!" He reached behind his back and pulled out the Millennium Rod. Giving the item to Erebus, he was roughly tossed to the bed.

Without another word, Erebus exited as Lucifer followed him, leaving their three siblings alone. Once they were gone, Nidoki and Orpheus grinned at each other while Forseti gulped in fear.

"Greedy bastard," Erebus muttered. He checked over the Millennium Rod for any signs of damage, the gold glinting off the torchlight.

"Look who's talking, Mr. Envy." Lucifer immediately felt the knife of the Millennium Rod pressed against his neck. He grinned. "Touch a nerve I see? That scar tells me otherwise."

Erebus didn't release his grip off the item. He only pushed further but he realized Lucifer was instead enjoying the anger being emitted from him. He felt long, slender fingers trace a line along the diagonal scar across his face. Slowly Erebus removed the Rod away from Lucifer's neck, turning away from him.

"Where do you really come from?" Erebus asked. Until now he accepted Lucifer's presence within their group without question as Artemis welcomed him. Something told him there was more to Lucifer's story.

Lucifer's red eyes seemingly glowed, giving off an eerie appearance that made Erebus feel uncomfortable. "I'm just a man seeking justice. Long before your birth, Osiris, your grandfather, condemned me to be used as one of his little experiments. He had my very soul forcefully removed from my body and locked me away in a sealed container to never see the light of day again." He moved closely to Erebus, pushing him against the wall and staring him straight down.

Erebus could sense those eyes piercing into his own soul. He simply had no idea what experiments Lucifer was talking about and neither did Yukai the last time he wandered into his memories. Firmly standing his ground, Erebus nodded for Lucifer to continue.

"One day Apophis had stolen the container and merged my soul with Pluto's, hoping the boy would be useful to him when he became older. As he was considered the 'light half' of Pluto, Mercury was to be disposed, but both Apophis and Keket never expected a pair of sorcerers adopting him."

"So Mercury was supposed to be killed? Guess his parents held some sympathy after all."

Edging away from Erebus, Lucifer heard the distinct sound of Forseti's cries down the hall. "Better go see what those two are doing to him. I don't think Artemis would be pleased to find Forseti dead once she fully recovers."

* * *

A few days had passed in Elysium, after stopping overnight in Ismene they proceeded into the mountains. Clambering over the last hill into the Valley of Fire, Yugi collapsed onto the grass exhaling and waiting for his companions to catch up. Propping himself on his elbows, he frowned looking at the ridiculous amount of ground they were being forced to cover as the others came over the hill.

Stopping beside him, Kaiba also frowned. "Yugi..."

Yugi sighed, pulling himself to his feet. "I know..."

Pluto growled, turning back to Luna. "You expect us to search this entire mountain range looking for two Guardians?"

Luna rolled her eyes, falling back into the grass. "I don't expect you to do anything, I knew you'd give up when things got difficult, that's what you always do."

Pluto was about to retort when Yugi called his name, forcing him to relent and join his brothers and sister looking out over the vast valley that separated them from the actual mountains.

Yugi crossed his arms, aware that the others were waiting for his decision on how to tackle the particular part of their mission. He thought for several moments and then spoke, "Above, between, below."

The Guardians, the sorceress and Serenity cast confused looks between each other. "Say that again, Yugi?" Serenity asked.

The duelist walked forward a little, turning to face them. "Above, between, below, it's the only way I can see to search the area effectively. One team flies above the mountains, checking all the highest points in the range. Two teams search the range itself, one handling the lower seconds of the mountain, the other the peaks and caves further up. The last team searches below in the caverns and tunnels that Luna described that run beneath the range."

The group looked between each other to gage their reactions. Once he got an agreeing nod Yugi considered his next course of action. "Mars, Pluto, you both can fly so you take to the skies, Kaiba and Fiona will handle the lower sections of the range, Serenity and Luna can handle the below and... Horus and I will go up the mountain." Yugi finished, trying to sound way more enthusiastic about the idea than he actually felt. Judging from the frown on Horus's face the idea of spending days with his daughter's ex-lover and father of his granddaughter thrilled him as much as it did Yugi.

Kaiba nodded, looking out towards the sun as it sunk towards the horizon. "Let's start searching tomorrow, Yugi, the sun will set soon. I think we'll have a long day ahead."


	44. Down the Rabbit Hole

Chapter 44: Down the Rabbit Hole

Pluto sighed, circling above the Ismene Mountain; his eyes narrowing on every outcrop and ridge in search of Apollo and his biological brother Mercury. Even though the Guardians called each other brother and sister the bonds were those that come with familiarity and the common connection they shared as Guardians. He, Mercury, Artemis, Orpheus, Apollo, Yukai, Forseti and Nidoki were at all related to each other. The members of the Animus Royal family were also the original owners of the Millennium Items; each item's unique property enhanced the power of their respective owner and their Ka. It also happened to enhance the ability that powerful negative influences could exert over the respective owners of the Millennium Items.

Pluto remained floating in mid-air, looking down upon Yugi and Horus and considering the young reincarnation of Ra. At one point or another in the history of the Millennium Items they had turned their owners evil; whether it was his father during the time he held the Millennium Ring or how it influenced Yukai's father's paranoia, leading him to banish his children and expose a young Artemis to the unspeakable cruelties of the world. The Millennium Items were at play later during the Final Battle; their power drove a wedge between him, Yukai and Artemis that had never healed, destroying their lives and killing millions of citizens of Animus. In Egypt, the temptation of the power of the Items corrupted the Pharaoh's high priest, leaving a trail of blood that followed him eventually to the throne of Atem. Even now, the power of the Millennium Puzzle corrupts, turning their once respected ally in the Pharaoh Atem into the dark malevolent figure whose lust for his former queen haunts the lives of Nick and Téa.

The further history of the Millennium Items saw it corrupt the souls of Maximillion Pegasus and Marik Ishtar. Even with his less-than-stellar regard for humanity Pluto regarded Pegasus as a rather sad case, his seduction into darkness began with the death of his wife, he wasn't a man prone to evil—he was just a man whose life had been destroyed by the loss of the one woman he loved. Pluto frowned, considering his own past and the women he loved, the one that got away, the one he sent away and the one he wanted but was denied to him both by circumstance and by her desire for someone else.

Marik Ishtar's trail of blood began as inquisitiveness, turned to regret and fear and finally full-blown hatred. The hate that collected inside drove Marik insane and his alter-ego's lust for power fuelled the power of the Millennium Rod, perverting its power permanently.

"Hey Pluto, can we get this over with and get out of here? I'm freezing my ass off!" Mars complained from below, the Guardian of Fire was completely unwilling to ascend to the height Pluto was observing at.

The elder Guardian sighed. "Why didn't we bring Saturn, he's not afraid of the cold!"

Mars's eyebrow twitched. "Saturn is the Guardian of Ice; you damn well know he loves the cold!"

Pluto sneered down at his brother. "Exactly! At least if I were teamed with him I wouldn't have to put up with all the whining!"

"If I were teamed with Saturn I wouldn't have to put up with your stupidity!" Mars countered.

Seconds later Pluto was face-to-face with Mars, scowling. "How dare you speak to me like that?"

Mars sneered. "Don't try to act superior to me, Pluto. We're both Genesis Guardians, we're of equal rank amongst our brethren."

Pluto laughed. "Equal rank! I am elite amongst the elite; I am a Millennium Guardian—a member of the Dragon Dynasty! You, you're nothing but a..." Pluto stopped himself short, his brain finally catching up with his mouth, for once.

Mars's eyes narrowed. "A what, Pluto?"

"Nothing, forget I said anything." Pluto responded, dismissing his earlier statement. His face worked furiously against his urge to finish that particular sentence. He began floating away when he felt a piece of steel pressing against his neck, and he grinned. "You would challenge your superior?"

Mars sneered again. "Superior in rank only, Pluto, nothing more, and I would challenge you every day until you fall."

Pluto blew air out of his lips, smiling. "You lust after my blood, Mars; you think you have the skill to slay a member of the Dragon Dynasty?"

"You know too much, that's always been your problem; I think it's time for your mouth to be shut permanently." Mars continued, his voice sounding deeper and unlike his usual tone.

Pluto spun around, backing away with his sword now drawn. "Osiris!" He barked. His body shook as he spat the name of the original Guardian, the first amongst them, his grandfather and original ruler of the Dragon Dynasty.

The possessed Guardian smirked. "I'm glad even after all this time you remember your grandfather, Pluto. Even amongst my grandchildren you were one of the brightest stars. It's such a shame your curiosity has opened the path to your death. I can't allow what you know to become known to the rest of the Guardians, it would upset the balance and damage the very fabric that holds Guardian society together."

Pluto scowled. "Would it really, or would it just expose the falsehoods and pretence my brothers and sisters have laboured under for centuries. What you've done doesn't make them any less real. I should tell them what you did and the reason they were..."

Osiris cut him off. "Maybe you should, but you haven't yet boy, why not? Is it perhaps because you're afraid, afraid that your closest allies will turn against you? Are you afraid that if you tell them you'll have to also tell them you kept it from them for years, nay, decades! Or are you just afraid that once they know the truth they'll realize their own potential and ascend to a level of power you could never hope to reach?"

Pluto shook with anger. "Enough! You blasted old fool, it's way past time for me to send you back into that pathetic existence you call the afterlife. Stay dead, old man!" Pluto shouted, lunging at the controlled-Mars who dove out of the way with a smirk on his face.

"Good! I was hoping you would make this a sporting effort. Come along, Pluto. Let us see who is stronger!" Osiris proclaimed with a perverse grin.

Pluto shook his head. "Is this what happens to Guardians that ascend into the afterlife, you grow so bored of death you become insane!"

Osiris laughed again. "Why don't you let me kill you and you can find out for yourself!" He goaded, swiping at Pluto who flew upwards to avoid his strike.

Pluto grinned. "Sorry old man, I enjoy living too much!" He retorted, diving on Osiris and slicing down his opponent's back with his sword.

Osiris screamed in pain, the blood dribbling down his back and legs. He spun around, trying to keep the pain from showing on his face as Pluto rose to face him, swinging his sword out parallel to his body and casting the blood from the blade.

Pluto laughed. "You've gotten rusty, old man. I shouldn't be able give you a paper cut. If you want to kill me you're going to have to try a lot harder than this."

Osiris scowled again. "You dare defy a Holy Guardian!"

Pluto smirked. "Every day, Osiris, I'm not one of your little puppets dancing in time to the pulling of your strings. I am my own person. No one, not you, not Ra, not even my father can tell me what to do anymore. I'm onto your little game Osiris, I know what you've done, and you've messed with the very basis of life just to see what would happen. You can kill me, but it's not going to help you, if I can find out what you've been up to I bet even a mortal could figure it out. My brothers and sisters aren't as stupid as you think they are. One day, with or without me they will figure it out."

Osiris shook his head. "No, they never will, I won't allow it. I am a god now, Pluto. I could wipe you from existence with a snap of my fingers."

Pluto sheathed his sword and crossed his arms. "Go ahead."

Osiris blinked. "Fine!" He focused and snapped his fingers.

Across from him Pluto looked around, waiting to be removed from existence. "Well?" He laughed again, this time in reaction to the look on his grandfather's face. "I didn't think so. You didn't know inhabiting a body limits you to their power set regardless of your own powers. You could spend all day trying to kill me and still wouldn't. Osiris, go away, I grow bored of your games."

Osiris scowled. "How dare... you..." He began, stopping mid-sentence, hearing a high pitch scream from below. Pluto turned around, looking nervously into the eyes of Mars whose consciousness had resurfaced.

Pluto frowned. "Coward..."

Another roar drew their attention to a suddenly ascending green object. Diving out of the way the two Guardians barely avoided the fifty ton, seven story emerald dragon. Spinning around and moving from a vertical to horizontal path, the large jewel between its eyes glowed as it unleashed a jade-coloured fireball at Pluto. Unable to move around it Pluto was forced to run in the opposite direction as Mars dodged its tail. The emerald dragon's scales shone in the midday sun, the spikes running down the centre of its back were encrusted with rare crystals.

Mars scowled as Pluto finally got far enough out in front of the fireball to fly around it. Pluto pulled his robes off, leaving him in a white t-shirt and black pants over a sleeveless leather trench coat. Pluto swung his sword, dodging another swipe of the dragon's tail and joined Mars with a smirk. "Up for some dragon slaying, dear brother?"

Mars laughed, brandishing his own sword. "Of course. Before we do, do you know where I got this scratch on..."

"The dragon."

"Are you..."

"The dragon, totally the dragon." Pluto responded, flying off towards said dragon.

Mars blinked in confusion before shrugging, following his brother into attack. Matching Pluto's speed, the two Guardians levelled their swords, increasing their speed to maximum. They swept underneath the dragon, slicing through its long neck and severing its head. With a startled and stifled scream the dragon and its head plummeted back to earth, making the ground shudder as its great weight collided with the ground. Far above the two Guardians smirked, giving each other a fist bump before frowning. "We really need to stop spending time on Earth."

Far below a pair of steely blue eyes had watched the entire confrontation frowning. He had seen them with Ra but his brother was convinced they were a threat. From Mercury's point of view, he wasn't as sure.

* * *

Several days had passed in Kings Park since Yugi and the others had left in their hunt for Mercury and Apollo. Currently it was just passing two in the morning. For the most part the entire house was asleep. Since Nick and Téa's argument the latter had been spending her time with Joey. Unlike Nick, Téa had no desire to carry on any kind of physical relationship so soon after breaking up with her fiancée. All Téa wanted was a friend and someone to cuddle up with at night to fight off the nightmare that had been plaguing her since Nick had rescued her.

Meanwhile Nick spent his days translating the Icarus text and his nights drowning his pain in someone else, namely Mai Valentine. At the best of times Nick's sleep was troubled, the weight of things he shouldn't know and things he'd done or arranged to have done to other people weighed on this conscience. Tonight's sleep was particularly restless on account of the dream he was having.

Inside his mind Nick lay spread out in a grassy field shirtless, he smiled as a cool breeze carried the smell of freshly cut grass and sweet apricot nectar. Feeling something wet pressed against his lips Nick opened his mouth to accept the piece of mango that was being fed to him. As he chewed he opened his eyes, looking into the eyes of another. He smiled as a young brunette crawled up his body, placing a kiss on his lips. Withdrawing to sit beside him, she licked her lips with a small giggle. "I'm so glad you're here with me, Nick."

He reached out lazily to rub his fingers up and down her back. "I'm glad I'm here with you, Lina."

Lina Llubera, the human avatar of Artemis, sighed falling back into her lover's arms and resting her head on his shoulder. "I want to be like this forever."

Nick raised his head, kissing the back of hers. "We can, we're finally together now. No more Téa, no more Zack or Ash to get in the way of our love, just you and me."

Lina lifted her head, pressing her lips against Nick's again. "I wish that were true, but this isn't real, this is my dream. The one I never dared share with you, the one that's caused you so much pain and now it's over."

A moment later Nick's eyes opened with a shot as he sat straight up in bed, stopping just short of face planting into the bed in front of him. Mai, who was pulling back the curtains to allow the morning light in, looked around at him startled. "Nick, what..."

Nick held up his hand, shaking his head. He sat for a moment with his head in his hands, breathing deeply to regain his composure. He ruffled his hair with his fingers. "Hmmm..." He exhaled, resting his arms on his thighs.

Mai sat down on the bed in front of him, brushing his hair away from his face. "Are you ok?"

"I'm... not sure yet. I'll tell you after breakfast." He replied, kissing Mai on the lips before leaving for a shower.

Forty five minutes later Mai and Nick descended into the dining room. Téa, Joey, Ryou, Bakura, Kisara, Selene, Sephora, Jupiter, Venus, Mokuba, Kiki, Kenji and Hathor were already seated. As with every other day since the house found out Mai and Nick were sleeping together, the entire table aside from Hathor who wasn't old enough to understand went silent, watching and waiting for either Téa, Joey, Nick or Mai to say something. As with every previous day none of the four said anything as Nick took his seat at the head of the table with Mai sitting on his left. A few seconds passed before the normal buzz amongst the house's inhabitants.

Halfway through breakfast everything was as you'd expect, except for Téa, it wasn't a problem with her food or the conversation that bothered her. It was Nick, it wasn't what you would expect either, it wasn't that he'd left her only to take up a sexual relationship with Mai, Téa was saving that particular anger for another day. The part that still cared about him, the part that ached at night despite Joey's best efforts could tell something was wrong with Nick, something was bothering him.

Despite herself, Téa couldn't help but indulge her curiosity. "Are you ok, Nick?" Téa asked, trying her hardest to keep her concern out of her voice.

"Hm? Oh, no it's nothing." Nick responded in an off-handed manner, looking through the house copy of the New York Times.

Mai raised an eyebrow. "Oh? The way you were tossing and turning in bed earlier it looked like you were having a pretty intense dream."

Téa's eyebrow twitched furiously as she watched Nick blush, folding up the Times and throwing it on the table. "Fine... I... I had this weird dream, something about Lina."

The Guardians present at the table nearly jumped from their seats upon hearing the name. No, they didn't fear Lina. This shock was more from realizing that Artemis's human avatar had managed to survive all these years, albeit being the vessel housing Artemis's spirit.

Jupiter raised her eyebrow. "You mean Artemis?"

Nick shook his head. "Nope, Lina... it was Lina. She'd... grown, her hair was longer, and her body was that of someone about our age. It was Lina."

"What exactly were you and Lina doing?" Joey asked coldly.

Nick sighed, putting his elbow on the table and resting his head against his fingers. "I think... we were on a date."

Téa put her head in her hands. "Is there any woman we know you don't lust after, you horny bastard? Can't you keep it in your damn pants?"

"This wasn't my fault, Téa! This wasn't my dream! I've never dreamt about Lina before, if I was going to dream about someone I'd rather it be you!" Nick yelled back angrily. He rested his hands on the table, breathing deeply before throwing himself back into the seat angrily.

Choosing to skip the commentary on the latest chapter of Téa and Nick's fight Sephora decided to ask about something Nick had yelled. "What do you mean it wasn't your dream?"

Nick sighed, resting his head on the back of the chair, looking at the high ceiling. "It's something Lina said... um..." He screwed up his eyes, trying to recall the memory. "She said, this isn't real, this is my dream, the one I never dared share with you... Then, she said it was the one that caused me so much pain... I don't understand..."

Every other face shared Nick's confusion, well, everyone except Téa, Mai and Selene. Téa and Mai hadn't been listening since he retorted to Téa's blast of anger, and Selene was pondering the words in her mind. "I understand, mortal..."

Everyone looked down the table towards Selene who had come out of her considerations to face the table. "This may be difficult for you to hear, no doubt it will surprise you but it is the truth. Before the current situation arose there were two personalities inhabiting the body of the woman you know as Artemis. The Guardian of the Wind who'd possessed the body and the girl whose body she shared. We called her an avatar, the human face that Artemis could show in public so she could fulfill her duty to watch over Yugi and his friends and ensure he was the true reincarnation of Ra. Artemis, as you know, was in love with Yugi at one time. However, the girl Lina had her own personality, her own set of values, memories, ambitions, dreams and crushes." Her eyes wandered towards the subject of her tale.

Nick blinked. "Wait... me?"

Selene nodded. "Do you remember the boat to Duellist Kingdom; you met a young woman, didn't you?"

Nick nodded. "Yeah... she had shoulder-length brown hair and was in a t-shirt, poor girl was freezing so I let her borrow my... jacket..."

Selene smiled. "I see you remember now. That girl was Lina. Artemis had spotted you in the crowd waiting to board and it triggered the memory of her old friend Phoenix. She encouraged Lina to follow you once on the boat and that act was enough to foster a small crush that only grew during Battle City. This crush had a side effect of course, jealousy." Selene explained, glancing over at Téa.

"Huh, what are you looking at me for?" Téa asked, only just then getting back into the conversation.

"Lina watched as you both became closer over the course of the finals and became heartbroken when Nick was cast into the Shadow Realm. But she couldn't say anything; Lina was bound by Artemis's responsibilities which she would have gladly cast aside for the man she loved."

Nick blushed. "I imagine she was thrilled when she learned Téa and I had got together before the tournament in Adelaide?"

Selene smiled bitterly. "Indeed, though she was angrier with herself or to be more accurate at Artemis. Something happening in the Pokémon World had drawn Artemis back to Animus and was therefore unable to be there when Shadow Phoenix first made his attempt to control your body by inducing a suicide attempt. Her pain was amplified by the fact it was Téa who saved you from him at the end of the tournament and when you died she thought she would never get a chance to tell you her feelings."

Joey pondered everything and raised a question. "Wait, who revived him then? Whose idea was it?"

Selene smiled. "Very good, Joey. Even though Nick's dark half was running rampant on Animus it wasn't necessary for Artemis to revive him..."

Sephora cast a look towards Nick wondering how he'd take this news, the only sign she could see that he had heard it at all was the tightening of his fist.

Selene continued. "But by this time Lina had learned to influence her Guardian side, making her see that, without Nick, Yugi and his friends would not be able to stop him. Artemis agreed and revived you. As your friend Artemis was glad to see you returned, as your potential lover the prospect of having Téa out of the way pleased the dark urges inside Lina. Though as you are all aware Téa was saved and Artemis took up a relationship with Yugi. Lina was cast aside and by the time she could re-exert any control the Dark Crisis was over and Nick and Téa had left Animus to live in Adelaide."

"I don't see the part about the pain it caused him yet?" Mai asked.

Selene sighed again. "You are about to; in the six years since the Dark Crisis somehow Artemis has turned evil and brought the Millennium Guardians on her side. All of Artemis's feelings for her friends have been perverted by the darkness that has its hold over her. But the darkness isn't just drawing on Artemis's dark urges; it's also drawing on Lina's. Everything Lina felt for Nick is being twisted and perverted for the use of the darkness. Six years is a long time for jealousy to fester, in that time jealousy turned to hate, hate for you, Nick, but in particular hate for the woman you loved, the woman carrying your child."

Téa's eyes widened sharply. "What Artemis did to me, all of that pain and suffering I inflicted was because of Lina's crush?"

Selene nodded. "Artemis loves to play games with the people around her. The feelings Lina felt for Nick would have fed her already warped psyche, using that pain she would have channelled it into doing something destructive that would cause the people who loved Téa the maximum amount of pain. In that I would say she succeeded."

Selene rose from her seat and left the room. Sephora gave a look to the others and they nodded. Everyone except Téa, Joey and Nick got up and left. They sat quietly for a full five minutes, they could all feel Mai hovering nearby but it didn't matter. Nick closed his eyes, breathing out. "Téa... for what it's worth, I'm sorry, for everything."

Téa looked up at him as he stood and began to walk away. "Nick, I..."

He stopped at the door, shaking his head. "It's fine, Téa. If you'll excuse me, I have some things to finish."

They both watched Nick leave, exchanging concerned looks.

* * *

Erebus had chosen to hold up in Artemis's chamber while she recovered. After having separated both Orpheus and Nidoki before they killed Forseti, he decided to seek a silent place to contemplate over Lucifer's earlier conversation and the recent battle against Yugi.

Sitting cross-legged on a chair beside Artemis's bed, Erebus took a moment to gaze upon her sleeping form before his eyes rested on the Millennium Rod. Despite its powers, he wouldn't have been able to control her mind as he did with Téa. Even now the item lay cold in his hands, unresponsive ever since Téa had been freed. He was so confident that she wouldn't leave his control but he never counted the Soul Sphere as a factor.

A growl escaped from his lips as he stared back at Artemis. His eyes twitched with frustration. Had Artemis known all along the Soul Sphere was capable of such power to free a person from mind control? Regardless of the answer, Erebus positioned the Rod's knife end over her chest, intent to drive it deeply into her heart.

Just as he was about to stab her, Artemis's hand lashed out, effectively stopping him in his tracks. Erebus stumbled back, watching as her eyes opened with an amused expression. She gripped the Millennium Rod, not caring that her hand was dripping blood from the open wound caused by the knife.

"Big mistake," she said, the grin on her face growing bigger.

Erebus shook his head in desperation. "N-no! I didn't mean to—"

"Silence!" Artemis cut him off. Furiously, she threw the Rod, but not at Erebus, she aimed for the wall instead. "I know you're upset over Téa. Taking your anger at me will do nothing."

"And yet whose fault was it to not make the Soul Sphere a main priority?"

"I didn't think anyone would be foolish enough to use it," she answered. "But now that it's been destroyed we won't have to worry about Yugi using it against us. Our power is only growing stronger with each passing day and soon his light shall be consumed by the darkness."

Pondering her words, Erebus grabbed the Millennium Rod from the wall. He could feel its powers slowly resonating, just not enough to use its full strength. Sliding it back in his belt, he watched Artemis collapsing onto the bed. Their encounter had clearly exhausted her so rather than stick around to be reprimanded more, Erebus left her chamber.

Inside the dark recesses of her mind, a figure sat with her knees drawn up with her arms wrapped around them. She overheard the conversation through a large oval mirror in one corner of the soul room while another figure lay on top of a bed in the middle of the room. Brown eyes shone with hatred at her roommate who appeared peaceful from her spot. Standing up, she made her way to the bed, the only other light source beside the mirror in the room. The entire place had been dismantled years ago due to their new occupant who had imprisoned the two women after Artemis tried in vain to fight off the unwanted presence.

Lina had no chance at beating this foe. She sat and watched as Artemis took most of the torture inflicted upon her before she gave in completely. The inhuman laughter that was shouted by Artemis haunted Lina as she knew the Guardian had lost the battle, not only physically but mentally as well. Yugi had no hope of ever recovering her now.

Movement stirred Lina from her thoughts as Artemis woke up. She smiled at Lina, totally oblivious to the event taking place outside their soul room. "Nick ruined all the fun. They have Téa back thanks to him using the Soul Sphere," Artemis said with a frown.

"I know." Lina bit her lower lip. She had hoped the artifice would have killed Téa instead of using her as a mind puppet.

"Aww, are you mad that you can't have Nick now?" Artemis jeered. To her it was all a game, nothing more, nothing less. She was just moving the players along according to the rules. Both teams were allowed to steal their opponent's allies. Despite having lost Pluto, her side gained Lucifer instead.

Lina gritted her teeth angrily, already becoming fed up with Artemis. "How dare you make fun of my feelings for him!"

Artemis pursed her lips. A giggle was all she could retort.

"Let me put it this way: how would you like it if I insulted your love for Yugi?"

"Oh? My feelings for him have vanished, like, poof!"

This development Lina was not expecting. _But does Artemis still care about Hathor?_ she thought. The artifice didn't even seem mildly interested in Hathor, preferring to leave her care to Rebecca.

"You tried reaching out to Nick in his dreams?" Artemis asked. Her blue eyes were half-lidded as a smirk appeared.

Gulping, Lina feared whether Artemis was going to tattle on her to the artifice. She had done nothing wrong; she just wanted Nick to know about her feelings for him before she lost her chance. Lina sensed something terrible was coming his way.

"But tell me, do you hate me? Do you despise me for stealing your life?" A forlorn look crossed Artemis's face.

Lina nearly shook her head to disagree but paused. Anger began to well up her thoughts as she took in the full realization of her predicament. "It was you who led those people to kill my family and tried to erase my very being from this body. Of course I'm angry at you!"

Artemis sighed deeply. "And yet I haven't wiped out your existence to this day."

Gritting her teeth, Lina pointed an accusing finger towards Artemis. "That's because you used me as a puppet! I wouldn't even be in this mess if you hadn't possessed me."

A small chuckle escaped Artemis's lips. "I'll possess anyone of my choosing without caring about the consequences. I've been doing this for over two centuries, I won't stop now." She moved off the bed as the light surrounding her area began to slowly spread.

Lina backed away as she noticed bloody floor tiles appearing underneath Artemis's feet. She had fought off the taint that had corrupted Artemis as best she could, but she knew she would fail eventually. Motioning towards the oval mirror, Lina could feel the presence of another in the room.

The room around them had brightened while Artemis was speaking, uncovering bloodstained walls and decrepit furniture strewn along the floor. At least on Lina's end, it remained untouched and clean. She hadn't succumbed to the corruption but clearly Artemis had. The Guardian's soul room used to be tidy, no chaos to be found. Now it represented the current instability of her mind.

Artemis paused. Her eyes twitched as another unpleasant memory appeared in her thoughts. "I wanted to die. I could no longer handle being a spirit walking the living world for centuries to come." The light cast off her rugged appearance; her tattered silver gown was covered in blood, her eyes bore dark circles and her hair dismayed.

Lina could only stare horrified. Suddenly she could feel the presence she sensed earlier right beside Artemis. The room was once again bathed in total darkness as a pair of glowing red eyes gleamed from within. A wide grin greeted the two women, but Lina felt very uncomfortable as the eyes looked down at her.

Lina stared at the dark mist which was the artifice. "Why was I spared?"

"My child, you've had the fortunate of not sharing the same fate as the Millennium Guardians," a female voice said. "Of course you had to watch while Artemis's pride got the best of her when she tried to fight me off. Quite an unpleasant experience, wasn't it?"

Turning back to Artemis, Lina noticed the Guardian's calm demeanor had all but left her. Lina tried her best to not look as frightened while in the presence of the very figure who tortured and killed the Millennium Guardians.

The grin never left the artifice's 'face', continuing to disturb Lina. "I was seeking vengeance against those who imprisoned me. Since they've long been dead, I had to go after their descendants."

Artemis remained motionless, her eyes devoid of any life in them. Unwanted memories stirred inside her mind once she heard the apparition's voice. She then started screaming as laughter filled the soul room.

* * *

Serenity rolled her eyes as she and Luna descended into the caverns beneath the Ismene mountain range. The sorceress was complaining about the fact she had been assigned to the team that was searching the labyrinth. "Men, I tell you they're not good for anything, well ok they're good for one thing but that's it! Ra knows we won't find anything down here but what does he do, he tells us to search down here for no possible reason except to keep us out of the way."

Serenity sighed, holding the torch carefully as not to get burnt by the fire Luna had created to light it. "Yugi's not like that, he wouldn't put us down here to keep us out of the way. He knows every inch of these mountains have to be searched if we have any hope of finding Apollo and Mercury before the Millennium Guardians do."

Luna rolled her eyes. "If you say so, you have a lot of faith in him, don't you?"

Serenity blushed a little. "Well yeah, why shouldn't I?"

Luna smirked. "You're in love with him, aren't you?" Serenity's blush deepened, causing Luna to laugh. "That's very sweet, but you shouldn't waste your time, you'll never get what you want out of that relationship."

Serenity stopped dead, spinning around to face Luna. "Just because you had a bad experience...!"

Luna crossed her arms. "It's not just me, dear girl, think about it, Artemis and Yukai were in love once, and they hate each other now. Ra and Artemis were in love once, now she's trying to kill him. Pluto was in love with Artemis but could never admit it and the other women he loved—his wife and me—were either banished or abandoned. Trust me Serenity; you're better off finding a nice mortal boy to fixate your lust on."

Luna took the torch from Serenity's grip, slipping past her to continue down the tunnel and leaving Serenity to contemplate what she'd said in semi-darkness. "No, Yugi isn't like that... he's one of us. He's sweet and loving and..." She couldn't help but cast her mind back to the day they arrived on Elysium, the previous night he'd been so tender and loving but at the same time incredibly intense, something she had failed to let her brother know about. His demeanour changed almost as soon as they stepped onto the planet. His words had hurt her but the way he looked at her hurt even more.

Luna's call from ahead stirred Serenity back into reality, forcing her to run up the tunnel until she stopped beside Luna gasping at her discovery. Emerging from the tunnel they entered through, the two women were confronted with an intersection where tunnels around them snaked off on their own paths through the mountain range. But that wasn't what concerned Luna, Serenity looked up and groaned, above them were even more tunnels, criss-crossing the area above their heads. The walkways seemed to cross the empty space for at least nine or ten stories to the roof.

Serenity shook her head. "How are we supposed to search all those tunnels?"

Luna laughed. "Assuming we can find them all. We could fly up and wall along one tunnel to find it collapsed but walk the other way and discover a whole different set of tunnels. Even then we could wind up with another fifty tunnels to search."

Serenity groaned. "Fifty!"

Luna nodded. "If we're lucky."

Luna walked over to the tunnel they had just exited and placed her hand on the wall. Speaking a brief incantation the wall glowed as if it were being superheated. Taking her hand away Luna had left an imprint of her hand on the wall as a sign post.

Serenity arched her back, stretching and showing off her well-toned stomach to Luna who sighed. "There are no boys here to impress. Let's get going on this fool's errand before we... I mean, you get old."

Serenity blinked. "What do you mean 'me', you'll get old too you know!"

Luna laughed, approaching the first tunnel. "No I won't, when Pluto was my lover he..." At that moment the entire cavern shook, dust trickled down from above as Serenity cast a concerned look towards Luna. The sorceress shrugged. "No idea, but you shouldn't worry. These tunnels are ancient; they'll be here long after you're dead."

Serenity looked up towards the ceiling, her eyes widening to full. "Since long after I'm dead might be about five minutes from now I believe you! Look out!"

Serenity pushed Luna back into the tunnel they'd exited as a huge boulder fell from the ceiling, smashing through each of the walkways and tunnels that had until then criss-crossed the area above them for centuries. Colliding with the floor the boulder bounced and as if it had a mind of its own it started rolling towards the two women. The boulder was just large enough to fit inside the tunnel which meant anything in its path was guaranteed to be run over.

"Run! If you value that pert ass of yours I'd really start!" Luna yelled, only to realize Serenity had started running about thirty seconds before. "I hate dealing with Earth humans!"

Running at full speed, the two women were no match for the boulder that was bearing down on them. Momentum was against them as they knew this tunnel continued to descend into a horizontal tunnel which was the same shape as the tunnel they were in at the moment. "Unless you've got a better idea, Luna, I'm going to start praying for help at this point!"

Luna laughed. "I always have a better idea!"

Yelling an incantation at a section of wall ahead of them, it exploded outwards, leaving a large indentation just large enough for the two women. Grabbing Serenity by the hand, Luna pulled them into the alcove just as the boulder passed. Pressed against each other, the two women breathed a sigh of relief. Luna's eyes narrowed. "What?"

Serenity grinned. "You think I have a pert ass?"

Luna pushed Serenity off of her, dusting and then scoffing, "Don't get your hopes up; I'm not inclined that way."

Serenity grinned. "Shame."

Luna rolled her eyes. "Can we please go see where that blasted boulder went before you die of old age?"

Now free of the boulder of death the two women walked through the tunnel they had entered by until they found the boulder again. Luna scowled. "My day continues to improve..."

Finding the boulder again was a good news and bad news sort of deal for the two. The good news was that the boulder was no longer a threat of running them down. The bad news was it was now jammed deep into the hole that led to the tunnel that served as the entrance to the caverns. Which according to Luna was the only way in.

Luna put her hand against the boulder, frowning. Serenity crossed her arms. "Is there any kind of spell you can use to, I don't know, blow it out of the way?"

Luna rolled her eyes. "Any spell that could destroy this boulder would most likely kill you, which is why I didn't destroy it earlier."

"Ah... Are you sure that's the only way in?"

Luna cast a condescending look back towards Serenity who responded with a withering look of her own. Luna shook her head. "I have been alive for hundreds of years, and for much of that I have lived near these mountains. I know these tunnels as well as I know my own body, I tell you there are no other ways in and out of these tunnels."

Serenity sighed. "Well, the least we can do until the others come and rescue us is search..."

Luna nodded. "I suppose."

Walking through the tunnel back into the main intersection, half the tunnels had been caved in by the boulder's destructive descent earlier. Picking her way through the rubble, Serenity looked up to identify the single walkway that hadn't been destroyed. It looked as though it didn't matter; the chunk the boulder had taken out of it was so large it made the path almost impassable.

Running her hand through her hair, Serenity frowned, continuing to look up at the ceiling. "Oh Yugi, why do I have a really bad feeling about this..."

_I hate heR I hate her I hate her I hate her!  
The life I coUld have had, Now completelY shattered  
She'll rUin your life too  
I can't Go on lIke this anymore…_

* * *

Lina is certainly trying to keep it together while Artemis not so much. The quote at the end should clue you in about the previous two.  
I reworked the soul room scene many times, trying to get it just right. It sounded good in my head before I began typing the final draft.  
Looking over my work always leaves me unsatisfied so it's become a habit for me to review. Oh well, at least it's finally done with.  
I was inspired by Luna Game, a My Little Pony creepypasta game, for the glimpse of imposter Artemis.  
The creepy smile of Apple Bloom was so unsettling the first time I saw it. Don't recommend playing unless you like nightmare fuel.  
Had expected to pull off that scene better but just try to imagine a cute little cartoon pony smiling at you like she's about to kill you.


	45. The Truth About 200 Years Ago

Chapter 45: The Truth About 200 Years Ago

_This is the last time I volunteer for something._ Seto Kaiba swore to himself as he inched his way across a narrow ledge on one of the lower peaks amongst the Ismene mountain range. Clenching his teeth, the CEO of Kaiba Corporation and heir to the title of Guardian of Darkness slid his right hand then right foot along the ledge focusing completely on the idea of hanging onto the ledge. Kaiba was trying his best to ignore the twenty metre drop into jagged rocks below.

"Aren't you across yet?" A female voice demanded of him. Kaiba visibly flinched, gripping the ledge tighter.

"Blast it, Fiona! I'm trying to concentrate!" He yelled angrily.

Fiona rolled her eyes, floating in mid-air. "Gees little brother, you need to finish transforming into a Guardian already, this whole having no wings thing is getting old."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "What did you call me?"

Fiona smiled. "Little brother, you, Joey and Yugi are a part of the family now. Becoming Guardians makes the three of you a part of the family of Guardians."

Kaiba groaned. "Oh swell..." He responded, throwing himself off the ledge to the slab of rock below.

Fiona landed beside him as Kaiba dusted himself off crossing her arms. "So, where are we going now?"

Kaiba scowled at his 'sister', looking beyond and above her. "There, I think that leads to the interior of the mountain range. If I were going to hide out I think I would probably hide there."

Fiona nodded. "Sounds reasonable."

Kaiba adjusted his pack and nodded, climbing over a mound of rocks as they followed the path up and around deeper into the mountains.

Nearby a figure stood shrouded by mist, his crimson eyes gleaming as he watched the four groups search. He smirked, reaching out his hand to close it around Yugi. His companion rolled her eyes. "You need to focus on the job at hand.

The man with crimson eyes rolled his eyes. "Why, all we have to do is wait for them to find those two idiot Guardians. Once they do we can sweep in and convince them to join us or kill them. It can't possibly be that difficult."

His companion scoffed. "You really think it will be easy, nothing about this has been easy. Why would anything be different now?"

He laughed. "Have faith, dear woman. Something significant is bound to go our way sooner than later."

Fiona and Kaiba walked along the path as it curved around the mountain and into the interior of the range. The cool air became stagnant as they progressed deeper, the heat of the morning sun amplified the stale smell and the oppressive heat. However as they exited the path and emerged into a partially enclosed cavern they discovered the sun wasn't the only reason for the oppressive heat and stale air.

A bead of sweat rolled down Fiona's neck making her shiver as her eyes examined the room. "Dragons..." She whispered to Kaiba who nodded.

Sleeping on the floor and in some dragon sized alcoves were a family of jet black dragons, five in all. They weren't quite as big as the one Pluto and Mars had fought earlier. Kaiba estimated they were about half the size but these ones looked twice as aggressive judging from the scratch and bite scars inflicted to each dragon's neck and body. Kaiba covered his nose, considering the largest of the dragons and the one with the most recent wounds, some of which stunk of decay as the dead flesh rotted off its body.

"Kaiba!" Fiona hissed. "Let's get out of here!"

Kaiba waved his hand, considering the dragon. Despite the smell and the damage to its body he was spellbound. Aside from his Blue-Eyes White Dragon this was the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen. Disregarding his own safety, Kaiba walked right up to it and patted the dragon's skin. Despite the heat of the room its scales were cold to the touch. He could see himself and Fiona reflected in the scales as a rare smile crossed his lips. "You are magnificent."

Fiona frowned, watching as Kaiba fawned over the dragon. "Damn it little brother, this isn't going to end well..."

Above them peering in through the opening in the roof, Apollo knelt, watching the display of affection from his 'brother'. He'd never seen Seto Kaiba act this way to anyone except maybe the girl he'd returned from Elysium with. Apollo wished he didn't have to do what he was about to do but he couldn't risk his father, brothers, sister, Serenity and Luna finding him and Mercury. He had foreseen the events to come and despite knowing trying to fight fate was usually a futile business he was doing his best to try.

Picking up the bow and arrow that sat beside him, he aimed his weapon carefully to avoid hitting either of them. Pulling back, he released the arrow, praying his actions didn't result in the death of someone he cared about.

Seconds later the arrow Apollo had launched hit the ground between Fiona and Kaiba, unleashing an explosion of noise and light which consumed the area around them. The arrow Apollo had used was called a flash bang arrow which was based on a device developed on Earth to incapacitate and blind criminals and unruly individuals. In this instance it caused severe pain to both Fiona and Kaiba, blinding them both for a few seconds and angrily roused the sleeping dragons around them.

Feeling around for each other, the two Guardians managed to meet in the centre of the room as it shook, taking the weight of five fully grown dragons who had been disturbed from their sleep. As his sight recovered, Kaiba looked around to find himself surrounded, the dragons circling them.

"Uh... they look pretty pissed?" Fiona noted nervously.

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "How could you tell?"

"The growling kind of gave it away..."

Kaiba scowled, stepping forward. "Fine, if you want a fight, here it is!" He focused, knowing he needed something stronger than his Blue-Eyes to defeat these things. "Obelisk!"

Fiona backed away as her brother's body began to glow, the energy coalescing around his body, forming into a creature that collided with the roof. Its roar though barely phased the dragons who responded with their own roars of defiance. The youngest amongst them launched a fireball at Obelisk which it easily deflected, reaching out to slam it into the wall behind the other dragons. The eldest dragon beat its wings, forcing Kaiba and Fiona back behind Obelisk as the three other dragons launched their own fireballs. Swatting them away, Obelisk growled, punching the wall above the dragons causing a massive shudder to vibrate through the room. The wall above the dragons cracked and then shattered, showering them in debris and burying them in rubble.

Obelisk turned to face the final dragon, the eldest and wisest one who stared down his opponent with a steely resolve. His grey eyes examined the room carefully then roared, shaking its head twice before doing something unexpected. To Kaiba and Fiona's surprise the dragon lowered its head, much like a dog submits to the head of its pack. Kaiba looked at Fiona and then up at Obelisk who if it could look as puzzled as he was. Slowly and cautiously he approached the dragon, ignoring Fiona's warnings. He stopped just short of its snout. The dragon's breath, a mix of hot air and the smell of decaying flesh was almost enough to make Kaiba double over and vomit, but he held his nerve knowing it was important he look strong before the leader of this tribe. He reached out and stroked the dragon between its eyes, the dragon let out a pleasant growl which caused a warm feeling to run through Kaiba's body.

He turned, smiling to Fiona as Obelisk faded. "I believe I have become the leader of this tribe."

Fiona laughed a little. "Seto Kaiba dragon tamer, Yukai would be impressed."

Kaiba smirked. "Bully for him."

Fiona crossed her arms, looking around at the damaged room. "What now?"

Kaiba walked away from the dragon who waited for Kaiba to give a command to the centre of the room. He reached down and plucked the arrow out of the ground turning it over in his fingers. "We keep looking." Kaiba replied, throwing the arrow to Fiona.

"Apollo?" Fiona asked to which Kaiba nodded.

"Uranus and Yugi were right, they're here and they don't want us to find them." Kaiba replied, walking back over to the dragon.

Fiona raised her eyebrow. "Why?"

Kaiba snorted. "I don't care, they tried to kill us, I want to know why. I think we should go find them and ask, don't you?"

Fiona tossed the arrow away, walking towards Kaiba who had climbed onto the dragon's back. After some hesitation she nodded, climbing up to sit behind Kaiba. "Let's go, fly us out of here, we have to find Yugi!"

* * *

In Kings Park for the third day in a row Kiki sat in the hot and stuffy mainframe room at the top of the house, formerly the attic before Jupiter plundered it at the start of the decade to build a mainframe and memory archive that rivalled the one installed in the sub-levels of the Trinity's headquarters on Animus.

Mokuba sighed, spinning himself around in his chair having long ago gotten bored of Solitaire on one of the sub-consoles. He watched his crush with significant concern, for the last three days she had been reviewing what remained of the archive news footage from the Final Battle, the struggle between the Guardians and the forces of Apophis that nearly destroyed Animus and killed all the Guardians except Artemis two hundred years in the past. Mokuba had long ago given up on watching, deciding it brought back too many memories of the tragedies of 2001.

He remembered the days that followed as his brother, Yugi and their friends came together to watch the unfolding events in Kaiba's office. No one left for three full days and despite the animosity between Kaiba and Joey it wasn't until weeks afterwards they began sniping at each other again. Watching the footage of the Final Battle had become an obsession for Kiki, she would watch the full footage, twenty minutes worth in all then see something no one else saw and watch a particular part of the clip over and over. After watching it fifty times she would declare to him and his companion Kenji that it was nothing and start the ritual all over again.

Even though they were present at breakfast, lunch and dinner Mokuba had been the only person to notice that it had been days since Kiki had last eaten. Mokuba tried to get her to eat, but Kiki refused saying it wasn't important. Kiki was determined to find something that would help end this and save her brothers.

"Kiki, what are you looking for?" Mokuba asked in a ritual that had developed between them.

"I'll know it when I see it." Kiki responded.

Mokuba rolled his eyes. "That's what you said the last five times..."

"Well how should I know what I'm going to find, it's a battle that happened two hundred years ago! I have to find something and save my brothers, I can't let them die again, not like they were slaughtered by Apophis!" Kiki retorted angrily.

Mokuba relented, turning back to his panel and opening up the footage again. He sighed, leaning back running it through on mute. He only realized at that point that Kenji had fallen asleep. Mokuba frowned, pausing the footage about halfway through. "Kiki, what's this?"

Kiki transferred the image from Mokuba's screen to hers. Mokuba slid his chair over beside Kiki, pointing to one of the combatants that hovered over Pluto. Kiki raised an eyebrow, zooming in on the image. The two looked at each other with shocked expressions, throwing empty paper cups and pens at Kenji to wake him.

"Huh, what, why are you throwing things at me!" Kenji spluttered as he awoke.

"Come here and look at this!" Kiki demanded. Kenji's shoulders slumped at the order but reframed from uttering a retort for having been awoken from his nap.

Kenji slid his chair over on the other side of Kiki and frowned. "Well... it's Ammon, the Bronze Phoenix Dragon, you know what that is."

Kiki nodded condescendingly. "Of course I know what it is, why is it hovering over Pluto, it's almost as if he's controlling it?"

"That's because he is." Kenji replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Mokuba and Kiki looked at each other in shock. "What do you mean he's controlling it? Joey and Kaiba are its descendants."

Kenji nodded. "Now, but back then Ammon was bound to Pluto, he wasn't the true inheritor of the power of Ammon but at the time it was necessary for Ammon and Pluto to be bound together."

Mokuba raised an eyebrow. "Who was the holder of Ra?"

"Yukai."

"How did Ra and Ammon go from being bonded to Pluto and Yukai to being bonded to Yugi, Joey and Kaiba?"

Mokuba cut in before Kenji answered. "Do we even know that Yugi, Joey and Kaiba are the true inheritors of the Phoenix Dragons?"

Kenji held up his hand. "They are. No one but the true inheritor could do what those three have done. They restored Animus with just the force of their wills. Pluto and Yukai could never have been able to accomplish that when they were the inheritors, it was a struggle for them to even access the most basic powers held by Ammon and Ra. As for why Pluto and Yukai don't have them now, they died..." Kiki looked at Kenji as if urging him to go on, Kenji shrugged. "That's all I've got. They died at the end of the battle like the rest of us. All the Guardians died that day..."

"Not all..." Mokuba pointed out, both Kenji and Kiki looked at him.

Mokuba reached out and started typing on the keyboard. A few seconds later a file of Artemis appeared on screen, Kiki's eyes widened. "Oh my god... Her body was destroyed but the spirit didn't die..."

"Artemis was the inheritor of the Silver Phoenix Dragon during the Final Battle." Kenji stated.

Kiki looked between the two. "But if Artemis, Pluto and Yukai were the inheritors during the Final Battle and they weren't the true heirs, then who is the true heir of the Silver Phoenix Dragon?"

* * *

Orpheus hadn't been fond of the predicament he was put in currently. The thin wisps of shadows circling his wrists appeared fragile for him to break free, but he'd no sooner face the wrath of the person who conjured them. Staring down his foe in front of him, his blue eyes glowed as he attempted to use his telekinesis to freeze Lucifer in place. Unfortunately his plan failed when he saw Lucifer created a barrier surrounding his body to avoid the effect.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Your psychic powers have grown weaker," Lucifer stated. Behind him, he could hear Forseti cackling. "I'll also put you in time out if you don't shut up."

Forseti immediately quieted himself and straightened his body. It was the least he could do as Lucifer had saved his life earlier. This hadn't been the first time Forseti and Orpheus had crossed paths with each other, intent on drawing blood. Their animosity wasn't noticeable during the present era, having come to a truce.

Over in the corner, Nidoki sighed deeply. She was becoming bored with her brothers' antics and it didn't ease once Lucifer intervened to quell the fighting. Looking around, she realized Erebus wasn't with them. Nidoki stretched her arms, having had enough of the squabble and heading out of the chamber.

Lucifer noticed and released Orpheus from his binds. He took a moment to grab Orpheus and said, "Next time you won't be very lucky. I may not be so lenient." Throwing the Guardian to the floor, Lucifer went to follow Nidoki.

"So how did it feel to be reprimanded like a child?" Forseti sneered.

Orpheus's only answer was to pick up a nearby rock and toss it directly at Forseti's head. It made contact and he smiled when he heard Forseti's painful groan. "Since Lucifer says my powers are weak, perhaps I should practice on you."

Having caught up with Nidoki in the corridor, Lucifer was met with an unapproved look on the female Guardian's face. "I needed to talk to you in private," he said.

Nidoki leaned her back towards the wall and crossed her arms. "Whatever it is, speak now."

"The Final Battle. You and Orpheus sided with Pluto but why?"

"I will admit this is something the Millennium Guardians never shared with Yugi. After all Orpheus and I would have been labelled the bad guys along with Pluto if he got word of our motives," Nidoki explained. She closed her eyes, recalling the events that eventually led to her death. "Mine sounds quite petty. I was bored with my life so when Pluto declared the war I eagerly accepted. Biggest mistake in my life."

Lucifer remained silent. He processed her words, but he made no attempt to say anything.

"Orpheus joined because he greatly despised how his birthright was denied by him. Skyros ensured that the throne would belong to Yukai, except that was not only thing. Orpheus hated Artemis and Apollo."

This revelation caused Lucifer to widen his eyes. For some reason he was under the impression Orpheus cared deeply for his twin siblings.

Taking a deep breath, Nidoki felt a shudder go through her as one memory began haunting her. "He fooled everyone. Not even Artemis and Apollo had noticed before Orpheus tried to assassinate them. Artemis managed to save Apollo's life but at the risk of killing Orpheus." She swallowed hard, trying to form her next sentence. "Apollo killed himself right in front of her, having become too traumatized from the bloodshed."

Lucifer saw Nidoki's shoulders slacking slightly. "What's wrong?"

Nidoki shook her head, taking Lucifer's hand and grasping it tightly. "Having witnessed Orpheus's failure, I decided to murder Artemis. Only that backfired." She let go and rested her hand upon her left breast. "She tore my heart out with her bare hands. Something inside her snapped that day; it was not in her nature to react so violently."

Long ago Ra had taught Lucifer that every living being was born with a balance of light and darkness inside them. He and Ra protected that balance until the Phoenix Dragons sacrificed themselves and Lucifer was left all alone to keep light and darkness in check. The balance was soon destroyed once Osiris imprisoned him under false accusations and then his successors, Apophis and Pluto, were given the burden to restore it. That task became difficult without Ra's successor to the title of Guardian of Light.

"They played right into their hands," Lucifer uttered. Nidoki faced him, staring curiously. "Apophis and Pluto played their roles as the villains but that was a fate they never wanted. No matter the precautions, someone was one step ahead to make sure the heroes won. The game doesn't always end when the villain is defeated."

Raising an eyebrow, Nidoki wasn't so sure by what he meant. "And we are the bad guys this time."

Lucifer turned away from her. "Because someone is pulling Artemis's strings. They want something from her but what that is I haven't figured out." He briefly wondered whether or not the Holy Guardians had a hand in the game.

* * *

On a lower level of the house Mai was walking up the stairs into the living quarters section of the house. As she approached the door to Nick's room she caught sight of Téa at Joey's door, both women exchanged glares but said nothing, entering the respective rooms. Mai's disposition brightened exceptionally as she saw Nick lying on the bed reading, he turned his head towards her with a smile. "Hi."

Mai didn't respond initially, instead she walked to the bed, falling back first over his body and landing on the bed. Nick watched with a smile on his face, putting the book on the bedside table as Mai righted herself with a grin on her face. "Hello, hon. Busy?"

Nick shook his head, leaning in to kiss her on the lips. Before he reached them, he stopped, pulling back and shaking his head again. "No, I can't."

Mai blinked in shock as Nick moved around her on the bed to sit on the end, rubbing his eyes. "You can't? Should I remind you that we've been having sex for a good couple of weeks now, what's different now compared to almost every other day since you broke up with Téa?"

Nick shook his head for a third time. "I'm sorry, Mai. I...like you, I lust after you and your extraordinary body but I'm—we can't be together. I'm leaving."

"What?" Mai exclaimed, getting off the bed.

Nick stood, walking towards the window. "Once the translation is finished I've decided to leave. I've got this sense if I stay... If I stay I'm going to die, again."

Mai bit her lip, knowing he wasn't making it up. She could see from the way he held himself a weight was bearing down on his shoulders. Mai stood and walked over to him, sliding her arms around him. "I could come, you don't have to leave on your own." She whispered.

Nick shook his head. "No, unlike me you have a role here. You've got that pendant around your neck. You're the keeper of prophecies now. They need you."

"And they don't need you?" Mai asked disbelievingly.

Nick shook his head/ "Nope, I'm just a pawn in this game. Someone easily sacrificed for the sake of the bigger game. I'm going to walk away before I get sacrificed, if we... if we were still together I'd take Téa with me but I know she wouldn't go, she's way too loyal to Yugi for that. Maybe I should have just let Atem have her."

Mai kissed Nick on the cheek. "You could never have done that whether you two were together or apart. You could never have let that idiot abuse her. You would have protected her regardless."

Nick smiled sadly. "You have a lot more confidence in me than I do."

Mai returned his smile. "It's not confidence, hon, it's past experience informing an opinion. Can I make one last request?"

Nick turned around to embrace her. "Of course."

"I want to be with you, one last time if nothing else to show you what you're going to be missing out on after you leave," Mai replied, smugly pulling Nick towards the bed. He smiled and nodded, putting up little resistance as they fell back onto the mattress.

Later in the night Téa emerged from the bathroom after splashing water on her face, ever since their fight Téa had trouble sleeping. Tonight was no different, Joey was a warm body and incredibly kind man but he wasn't Nick, no matter how betrayed she felt at the fact he hadn't even waited twenty four hours before taking Mai into his bed Téa still felt empty without him. Despite all the anger and feelings of betrayal she wanted him back. Téa was still debating whether this was a character failing on her part with herself.

Turning off the light in the bathroom, Téa emerged into the corridor as Mai did the same. Téa scowled, fully expecting to see Mai smugly strut from Nick's room passed Téa back to her own room going slow enough to allow the smell of sex to offend her senses and remind her who was now doing her former fiancé. Instead Mai watched Téa for a full thirty seconds before beginning to cry, moving away from Nick's room towards the stairs.

Téa blinked in confusion, realizing that through her hateful glaring she had missed the fact that Mai had left Nick's room fully clothed. Despite every fibre of her being screaming at Téa to leave the blonde harlot alone Téa had to know why she was in tears and what Nick had done to make her that way.

Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, Téa found Mai in Nick's usual chair at the dining table. Her make-up was running and her hair was messy. Téa knew they'd had sex, she could just tell but that wasn't how Nick usually left Téa after sex. Téa walked over to the table, Mai looked up at Téa through tear-stained eyes. "He's leaving, Téa... he's leaving me... us... he's leaving us."

Téa's head snapped back slightly in shock. "What, leaving, what do you mean leaving, leaving for where?"

Mai shrugged. "Home, Adelaide I guess... he thinks he's going to die if he stays. Nick thinks he's just a pawn in the game."

"He's wrong." Téa stated.

Mai nodded. "I know. He matters to me, I love him, I've loved him for ages."

Téa frowned. "I love him too."

Mai slammed her hand on the table, glaring up at Téa. "Really? Then why aren't you fighting to get him back?"

Téa recoiled. "I did... I came to his room that night, and I was going to talk to him... But you were there first!" Téa spat accusingly.

"So what! If it had been you and was carrying his child I would have torn you off his manhood and thrown you out of the room naked!" Mai yelled hotly.

"Yeah well I'm not you! I don't crawl into men's beds less than twelve hours after he's broken up with the woman carrying his child to seduce him. I'm not a slut!" Téa replied, bristling with anger.

Mai laughed. "Oh really, then what are you doing crawling into Joey's bed every night. Don't tell me you two have got a little book group going, I've seen the way Joey looks at you, that's not an interest in your mind he's bearing that's something much more carnal."

Téa slapped the blonde. "How is it your business what I do with Joey? You're not his girlfriend, you don't even like him anymore!"

Mai grabbed her cheek, her eyes boring a hole through Téa. "It's my business because the man I love for some ridiculous reason is still deeply, madly in love with you despite the fact he saved your life and soul and you spat in his face!"

Téa stopped cold in her thoughts, staring at Mai. "No... no, I didn't."

Mai laughed. "Oh really Téa, let's review the evidence. When you asked what he'd discussed with Yugi that morning Nick gave you a straight answer, he told you the truth. Instead of putting aside what was a stupid thing for him to do in light of the fact he loved you and only wanted you back you got on your high horse talking about how what he'd done had screwed over everyone else. As if he hadn't already gotten that lecture from Yugi. It descended from there into you both dragging out a laundry list of past failings in front of everyone in the house and then you slapped him. That slap broke him, Téa, as angry as it made him it broke his heart knowing all the work he'd done had been thrown back in his face. All the times he'd stayed strong just for you, all the times he argued against the Guardians killing you while you destroyed homes and killed people under Artemis's orders. All the times he fought himself not to give in were thrown back into his face by the woman he loved and now he's going to leave."

Téa stared at Mai in silence, every accusation making her flinch. "He says he's leaving because he thinks he's going to die, he might think that but I think the real reason is he's heartbroken and the pain is too much for him to bear anymore. He'd fight to get you back, Téa, but he's all out of energy to fight for you, he's lost the will to try and get you back so he's leaving."

Mai stood, walking towards the stairs. She stopped short, giving Téa a withering look. "I hope you're proud of yourself, Téa. You've managed to destroy the best thing in your life more completely than the Guardians ever could."

Téa wasn't sure how long she stood in the darkened dining room, lit only by the light of the full moon before the flood of emotions hit. She only knew it was some time. Sinking down into the chair beside the one Mai had been sitting in, Téa sobbed loudly as the anger, loneliness and pain washed off her, leaving Téa alone with her frustration and a new resolve.

Walking towards the window, Téa stared out towards the full moon whose light was being reflected in the early spring snow, she shook her head. "No way, Nick, you're not getting away from me now. I love you and I'm going to get you back. I don't care if you think you're supposed to die, that's not going to stop me. Destiny be damned, I love you Nicholas King and I know you love me and we both love the child we've conceived. That's the only thing that should matter."

* * *

"No one can fight Fate," Artemis muttered. Hours had passed since their 'roommate' had left the soul room, and Artemis had relaxed for the time being. Each visit slowly ate away her sanity, picking apart her memories and twisting them in to a much darker tale. She couldn't tell which was real and which was imaginary.

From her position beside the oval mirror, Lina paced back and forth before twirling on her heels when she heard Artemis speak. "What do you mean? Of course we can."

Artemis gave her an impassive smile. "No, both humans and Guardians can't. Run all you want but Fate will find you." She turned her attention to the bloody floor tiles beneath her feet. "Once a deal is made, Fate expects payment in return. Depending on the deal you may have to forfeit your life."

"What are you going on about..." Lina paused, fully realizing the impact of the Guardian's words. "Nick never made a deal. You're lying!"

"Fate makes no exceptions. If you truly desire something, if you feel so desperate enough, _she'll_ make it happen." Artemis raised her hands with the palms facing upwards to emulate a defeated look.

Lina narrowed her eyes. "Then I'll find a way to stop _her_ from collecting payment."

She was met with laughter. "You can't do a thing. If you haven't noticed, the both of us are no longer part of the game." Suddenly Artemis waved her arm through the air. "Our roles as pawns are over. The Holy Guardians don't need either of us anymore so they will not hesitate in eliminating us."

Any hope Lina had of being saved had all but vanished. The Guardians didn't care about what would happen to Lina if Artemis had succeeded in destroying her soul. How could she had been so ignorant? They even abandoned Artemis over 200 years ago without a reason to this day.

* * *

Yugi sat on a cliff overlooking Elysium as the late afternoon sun warmed him after a day of fruitlessly searching the Ismene mountain range. Pouring some water from the canteen onto a rag he'd had in his pocket, Yugi mopped his face, relishing the coolness against his skin. As he rested his head against the wall he heard the exhausted panting of his, he'd decided not to count how many generations removed ancestor Horus was from him. All Yugi knew was this man and his sister Selene were direct ancestors of his and Atem's. Selene was directly responsible for the fact he was now transforming into a Guardian, that and his connection to the Golden Phoenix Dragon. Dropping beside him, Yugi handed his father-in-law the canteen which he accepted gratefully, adjusting the shoulder ties of his chiton.

"Is there anything in that direction?" Yugi asked.

Horus shook his head. "More dead ends and dragons. My son seems to have done a good job of hiding himself?"

Yugi raised an eyebrow. "Can you sense him?"

Horus glanced over at Yugi. "You cannot? You are a Guardian, Yugi. You are the reincarnation of the very first Guardian; any power I possess should be doubly powerful in you."

Yugi nodded. "Well, I can try I guess."

Yugi walked to the edge of the cliff, closing his eyes. Horus sat watching his descendant, quietly allowing Yugi to concentrate. Yugi slowly let his head fall back allowing the full imprint of his surroundings wash over him. He visualised the mountains in his mind and suddenly found he could feel the aura of the people around him. The closest was Horus, his aura told him what to look for. Above he could feel four strong auras, from his left side two hovered over the valley were Pluto and Mars, Yugi could feel the anger radiating from their position. He guessed they were arguing about the best way to search.

To his right emerging from a different part of the range he could feel Kaiba and Fiona's aura, the confusing part was they were suddenly in mid-air. As far as Yugi knew Kaiba couldn't fly and it didn't seem as though Fiona was carrying him. Putting aside that curiosity he concentrated further, sensing an aura far below him in the caverns Luna had spoken of before they even entered the mountain range. The aura was with another whose strong magic were partially masking her life force. Yugi knew the aura belonged to Serenity, but Yugi also knew Serenity wasn't a Guardian, she was a beautiful girl he held a great affection for, but a Guardian she was not... or was she?

Dismissing the thought, Yugi concentrated harder, squeezing his eyes. He finally found the aura he was looking for. One was waiting at what seemed to be a campsite while another made their way across the top of the range back from where Fiona and Kaiba had emerged. One aura that was walking along the ground stopped and hid as Fiona and Kaiba passed within metres of his position before resuming his walk towards the other aura.

Yugi grinned. "Found you!"

Horus stood. "Are you sure?"

Yugi turned around, opening his eyes. "They're here, Mercury is waiting for Apollo at a campsite. We should hurry and find them before they move again."

Horus nodded. "Or before my daughter and her allies find them."

Concealed in the shadows of a nearby outcropping of rocks, the man with crimson eyes smirked. "It's too late for that, Horus, you've delivered them into our hands."

* * *

Author's notes: StormWolf's My Little Pony fanmusic The Beginning of Order reminded me there was a point to the whole balance thing Pluto spoke about to Kaiba back in chapter 29. Long story short I don't always associate darkness as bad and light as good, it really depends on the side's motives and how it affects their world. In this fic's universe, the balance has been tilted to favor the darkness while the light struggles.

The thing here is, Yugi ain't playing on either side, he's neutral. He's really playing against Artemis's side, the "bad" one, and the Holy Guardian's as the "good" one. The game just keeps getting complicated. c:


	46. The Part Where She Kills You

Chapter 46: The Part Where She Kills You

Seto Kaiba smirked, sitting astride the dragon he tamed after it fought with his Ka, Obelisk the Tormentor. It sailed over the Ismene mountain range, looking down over the area carefully for any sign of Yugi and Horus. As he came over the northern range of mountains the dragon reared, Kaiba held tight looking out ahead of him spotting two Guardians, namely, Pluto and Mars flying towards them. Their eyes widened, realizing that sitting on the dragon were two of their siblings. They slowed to a stop on either side of the dragon's neck where Fiona and Kaiba were sitting.

Pluto shook his head. "If we ever get Yukai back hearing this will cause him to die of shame. Dragon taming has always been a pursuit of his."

Mars smirked, crossing his arms. "One he never had much luck in."

Three of the four Guardians rolled their eyes, the fourth one looked on confused. "That's wonderful, but we need to find Yugi, I have evidence that Apollo and Mercury are here." Kaiba interrupted abruptly, showing Mars and Pluto the arrow from earlier.

The two Guardians nodded. "I better find Luna and the mortal girl, we may need them." Mars responded.

Pluto rolled his eyes. "Like we've ever needed Luna, we would have been better off hiring a guide dog."

Fiona's eyes widened as Mars whistled low. "I am so telling Luna you said that."

Pluto snorted a laugh. "I'd like to see her try something."

Mars shook his head, flying away from them and down towards the valley floor. His Guardian powers extended past just a control of fire, it gave him the ability to see heat if he wanted in the same way a thermal imaging camera can see heat coming off various objects. He studied the wall and ground below which the caverns snaked their way beneath the Ismene Mountains. After a few minutes he spotted his quarry, touching the ground he focused and the area became shrouded in a heat haze as the intense energy Mars was exerting vaporised the ground beneath him down to the tunnel Serenity and Luna occupied. Another of his abilities allowed him to draw the heat from other objects, breathing in he drew the excess heat from around him leaving the ground and tunnel he'd created cool and almost moist. Moments later Luna and Serenity appeared beneath him drawn by the sound and heat, they smiled gratefully relieved to finally be free of the tunnels they'd been trapped in for hours.

Mars grabbed their hands and flew back to join Kaiba, Pluto, Fiona, Horus and Yugi who Kaiba and Fiona had collected during the wait for Mars. Fiona slid off the dragon, allowing Serenity to take her place behind Yugi. Serenity smiled, embracing Yugi with a kiss on the cheek. Yugi blushed. "Um, so, I found Apollo and Mercury."

Everyone except Horus stared at him in shock. "Where?!" Pluto demanded.

Horus interrupted. "Yugi has shared the information with me, follow quickly we may catch them before they decide to move again."

The Guardians agreed and they along with Yugi, Serenity and Kaiba on dragon back followed Horus into the mountain range.

* * *

In a deep corner of Animus shouting disrupted the usual silent almost tranquil ambience in the base of operations for the Millennium Guardians. The former pharaoh of Egypt, Atem was rousing his allies who eventually gathered in the meeting room looking annoyed.

"What is it, blasted pharaoh!" Artemis demanded, still grasping her freshly healed wound.

Atem smirked. "They found Apollo and Mercury."

Shock registered on the faces of Artemis, Lucifer, Erebus, Forseti and Orpheus. The four men and Atem turned their attention to Artemis for her decision, she smirked. "Dear sweet Yugi, such an idiot, he led us right to them as I knew he would. Is Nidoki still observing them?"

Atem nodded. "Of course. How did you know they would try and find Apollo and Mercury?"

Artemis smirked. "I left a post-hypnotic suggestion in Uranus's head to bring it up with Yugi and the others before I lost control of him. I knew when I lost control of Téa that battle was over; I had to get something out of it."

"Clever, speaking of my darling wife?"

Artemis took her staff from the nearby wall as she waited for the others to ready themselves. "You will have her all to yourself once we're finished, it was agreed and I always fulfil my agreements." Artemis lied, she knew that during the time that Erebus had manipulated Téa's mind he had ensured she hated both Nick and Atem. Erebus had instead used his control to make her his toy and had made it clear to Artemis that at the first opportunity he would make Téa his toy again. What Erebus meant by toy she had not enquired nor did she want to.

Artemis noted her brothers had reassembled and held her hand up; slowly the shadows engulfed them transporting them to their destination.

* * *

On Elysium the group of Guardians and humans made around the final peaks to appear in the area Yugi had sensed Apollo and Mercury. Descending to the correct height, the dragon touched down on a cliff nearby the cave that Apollo and Mercury had been living in. Kaiba, Yugi and Serenity climbed off and Kaiba dismissed his new friend after a small argument which consisted of Kaiba trying to dismiss the dragon to which the dragon responded by grabbing hold of his coat with its mouth attempting to drag him back. It only left when Kaiba promised to return and visit soon.

"You plan on honouring that request?" Pluto asked incuriously.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "Of course I do. That is a splendid creature deserving of my respect. Why would I not honour my promise of visiting it? I have earned its respect!"

Pluto held his hands up. "No offence meant."

Kaiba scowled, walking up beside Yugi who was assessing the path down. "The sun has almost set."

Yugi nodded. "I noticed."

Pluto walked up on Yugi's other side. "Do you think they will show up?"

Yugi resumed his full height, looking between the two. "They will, they always do, let's go."

Yugi led the group around behind the large peak they had been standing besides leading them to a path he'd noticed that was set at a gentler incline than the one that led directly from the cliff they were on to the cave. They stopped at the end of the path half hidden from sight and waited. After ten minutes Apollo landed finally returning from his mission disrupting Kaiba's search. Mercury appeared out of the cave frowning. "I did as you asked but Pluto and Mars were too strong, they killed the dragon."

Apollo also frowned. "I didn't have much better luck with Kaiba. He managed to acquire an Obelisk Ka and a pet dragon. He's becoming more of a Guardian by the day..."

"That might because he is a Guardian." Yugi pointed out, emerging from his hiding place.

Apollo turned in alarm as Yugi, Horus, Kaiba, Pluto, Mars, Fiona, Serenity and Luna emerged from hiding and approached them. Mercury's eyes widened at the sight of his twin brother close up. "It's true... you're not evil anymore."

Pluto put his hands on his hips, scowling. "It's nice of you to notice."

"You can't be here!" Apollo declared. His face quickly contorted in fear, taking a step back from the group in front of him. He gritted his teeth upon staring directly at his father, Horus.

"My son, we've come here to ask for your help, your sister..."

"Is what my dear, dear father?" Everyone's attention turned to the source of the voice from above. Staring down at them, the six Millennium Guardians and Atem watched their hated opponents with glee dropping to the ground. "Apollo, my twin brother, it's so good to see you after so long. Did you not get my invitation that night?"

Apollo rolled his eyes, pulling a piece of blue paper from his pocket and showing it to Artemis. "I received it yes, but I knew that you were no longer yourself."

Artemis laughed. "I am more myself than ever, Apollo, and you could be as well." At that moment Horus, Yugi, Kaiba and Pluto gathered around Apollo and Mercury. Artemis laughed. "Do you really think you can stop us? Just the eight of you and three pathetic Neo Guardians against the might of the Millennium Guardians and the Beasts of Chaos, do you really stand a chance?!"

Yugi looked at Horus and nodded. "We might be eight now, but in a moment we'll be more than enough to beat you!"

Behind them Apollo had turned pale, despite all his efforts, despite trying and trying to stop them from finding him and Mercury, the Guardian of Prophecies' prediction was coming to pass just as he'd envisioned it. Soon blood would be spilt, his and another's, someone who they could not afford to lose but would.

* * *

In Kings Park Selene was awoken by a loud noise in her head, shaking away the sleep from her mind. She discovered the loud noise was her brother. _"Sister, I do not appreciate being referred to as a loud noise."_

Selene grinned. _"Take it up with the author; I am merely an extension of his will."_

Horus was silent for a moment before continuing, _"We require the holders of the Neo Guardians, we have located Apollo and Mercury but Artemis and the other Millennium Guardians have arrived. Selene?"_

"_They will be with you shortly!"_ Selene responded before cutting the link abruptly.

"Nick! Joey! Mai! You are required immediately!" Selene shouted, loud enough for the entire house to be awoken from their slumber, while it was sunset on Elysium it was just before sunrise on Earth. Moments later Selene heard the stamping of feet as people emerged from their rooms the three she had called poked their heads out from the landing.

"What's going on?" Joey asked.

"Yugi and the others have found Apollo and Mercury but Artemis has appeared with the Millennium Guardians. You are... needed..." Selene finished, the three of them having already disappeared.

Appearing from her room with a robe wrapped tightly around her, Téa ran to Nick's room as he burst out of it swinging his sword around his shoulders. "Nick, can we talk quickly?"

Nick waved his hand, sticking a breath mint in his mouth. "Téa, look I don't have time for any nonsense, ok. Yugi's confronting the Millennium Guardians, and I've got to go with Mai and Joey to back them up. Whatever you want to say save it for when I get back, ok?"

Before Téa could say anything further he was running down the stairs, Téa ran after him. "I was going to say you're a jerk! You hear me, Nicholas King, you're a big jerk!" She yelled, running down the stairs after him. Stopping short of the door, she watched him, Mai and Joey leap through the portal followed by Selene. Téa bit her lip. "A big jerk I want back..." She whispered as the warp tunnel closed.

* * *

On Elysium the Millennium Guardians were stalking Yugi and his allies as the warp tunnel opened before them. Instead of a smooth landing the four travellers were spat onto the ground. Artemis rolled her eyes. "Don't you know that magic disrupts the energy of a warp tunnel?"

Nick and Joey pulled the women to their feet, moving back beside Yugi and the others. Selene scowled slightly. "Of course we do but it was an emergency!"

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Emergency? I don't see one around here, all I see is a family reunion."

Kaiba frowned. "Why haven't they transformed into the Beasts of Chaos?"

Yugi raised an eyebrow. "That's a good question... I would have thought Artemis would have attacked by now to ensure her numbers advantage."

"What if they can't?" Nick asked.

Joey looked at him confused. "What if they can't what?"

"What if they can't summon the Beasts of Chaos, what if the magical energy around here disrupts their ability to summon the Beasts of Chaos?"

Horus and Selene exchanged concerned looks, realizing the consequences of their actions had never occurred to them. "It may mean we can't summon the Neo Guardians either?" Yugi observed.

Nick exhaled angrily. "I hate field trips."

Artemis smirked. "The mortal has it right, we can't summon the Beasts and you can't summon the Neo Guardians, but we can summon our Ka!"

Appearing behind each of the Millennium Guardians appeared a Duel Monster of varying strength, Forseti and Orpheus summoned Sin Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Sin Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Artemis summoned the Winged Dragon of Ra – Phoenix Mode, Atem summoned his Sorcerer of Dark Magic while Erebus summoned Silfer the Sky Dragon and Lucifer summoned Obelisk the Tormentor; they both looked more ancient Egyptian than the ones Yugi had in his deck. Nidoki was the last person to summon her Ka, bringing forth Hyozanryu.

Yugi and the others brought forth their Ka and the battle was joined. The ground shook as each monster took their first shots. All the monsters exchanged blows but none of them were strong enough destroying the other. Yugi raised a curious eyebrow, knowing that any blow by Obelisk or Slifer should have destroyed most of their Ka, his eyes wandered back and widened.

Apollo had sunk to his knees, his hands running through his hair as he seemed to be in the middle of a waking nightmare. Yugi's head shot around to find Artemis smirking; Apollo's whimpering ringing in his ears.

"Arkana, attack Artemis now!" Yugi screamed, realizing what she was up to. His monster dove for the Guardian but Slifer and Obelisk were too fast and blocked its attack.

Artemis's eyes glowed more intensely, piercing into Apollo's mind even deeper until she realized what he was planning. The part of Artemis that hadn't submitted to the darkness screamed inside her own mind the memories of the Final Battle racing through her mind.

Apollo's body shook with pain, anger and fear as his hands wrapped themselves around a dagger in his belt. "No! You won't get me, Artemis! This has gone too far! I won't be seduced into the darkness! Never, never!" he screamed, raising the blade above his head. Before anyone could react Apollo had plunged the blade into his gut doubling over onto the ground as blood poured from the self-inflicted wound.

Horus, Yugi, Nick and Kaiba rushed over to the body as Serenity wept into Joey's shirt, terrified and traumatised witnessing Apollo's suicide. The four men rolled the Guardian of Prophecy onto his back, but it was already too late. The dagger stuck in his gut had done its damage, his eyes were open to the world but they no longer saw anything.

Horus crawled towards the body of his son, tears rolling down his cheeks as he pulled Apollo's lifeless body into his arms. "M-my son... my beautiful boy... What have I done to you...?" he whispered, the world falling away around him.

Yugi pounded the ground with his fist, rounding on the Millennium Guardians. "Why did you do that! Why must you kill everyone around you! What is wrong with you?!"

Artemis laughed. "Why? Because it's fun, because I want to."

"No more! Stop this!" Yugi bellowed, throwing off the hands that tried to pull him back.

Artemis grinned sadistically, looking down at Yugi. "No, why should we! The more chaos we wrought upon the five worlds, the more adoration there is to the father of chaos, Apophis the Guardian of Darkness!"

"Just stop, Artemis! Don't you see how much damage you're doing! It's out of control. You're not like this; you're beautiful–not evil! Stop this madness and come home just... what?"

"Look out, Yugi!" Nick yelled, pulling Yugi back behind him as Artemis launched an arrow at the young Guardian, in a single moment everything stopped for Ra. Falling onto the ground, Yugi failed to register Mai and Serenity's screams of horror until the moment after they had happened. Sitting up, Yugi wondered why Joey was suddenly hurling profane abuse at Artemis until his eyes fell upon Nick.

Laying on the ground the arrow stuck out of his chest, the expert archer Artemis was she hadn't failed to miss her mark, sending the point through the middle of Nick's heart. Blood poured from the wound but Yugi could hear Nick breathing raggedly. Tears welled in Yugi's eyes crawling over to his friend. "Nick... Don't move we'll, we'll..."

Nick tried to laugh, but only succeeded in coughing blood; tears ran down his face as he patted Yugi's cheek. "Téa... I'm sorry... I, I never meant to hurt you."

Yugi shook his head with tears running down his cheeks. "Nick, it's..."

"Shhh, it's ok... I understand just, don't cry... please, don't cry, it hurts so much when you cry. I never meant to hurt you, Téa... I love you, just tell me you love me... please, tell me you don't hate me... I don't want... you to hate me anymore."

Yugi bit his lip, realizing Nick couldn't see anymore. Grabbing the sides of his face, he pressed his forehead against Nick's, tears rolling down his cheeks. "I don't hate you, Nick, I never have. I forgive you for all of it and I do love you."

Yugi kissed Nick on the forehead, when he looked down again he was gone, the only comfort Yugi took was Nick had died with a smile on his face. Yugi silently reached down closing Nick's eyes, pulling his jacket off to drape over his face. Yugi stood, wiping the tears from his eyes before looking back at his friends sadly. "Whatever happens next, don't interfere."

Horus hadn't budged from his position, grasping his son's corpse so close to him. He was horrified to witness the gruesome acts his beloved daughter had committed. No, this Artemis was no longer the kind girl he watched grow up during his time in the Afterlife, it was now a demon masquerading as her.

Yugi walked the distance between the two groups alone, stopping before the Millennium Guardians. "I have an offer to make."

Artemis laughed, crossing her arms. "Go on."

"Stop killing people... stop killing my friends leave them alone."

"In exchange for?" Erebus asked.

Yugi looked up at them with a steely resolve. "Me."

Artemis raised a curious eyebrow. "You're willing to give yourself to us..."

"If you leave my friends alone..."

Artemis laughed loudly, looking over at Yugi's friends as Kaiba and Pluto dragged Nick's body back towards them. Deep inside her mind she could feel a piece of herself dying at the sight of his dead body. Artemis looked back down at Yugi and extended her hand. "It's a deal."

Yugi took her hand and the entire group was engulfed in darkness, leaving seven Guardians, two weeping girls, one sorceress and two dead bodies silently in their wake.


	47. You Chose Wrong

The chapter title refers to the choice Yugi made last chapter which leads in to something happening in the next part. Just putting that out there. Oh and keep the MGS quote in mind because it has relevance to the story.

* * *

Chapter 47: You Chose Wrong

_Snake, it's been a long time since you saved your game._

Revolver Ocelot, Metal Gear Solid

Sephora, Jupiter and Téa sat around the dining table waiting for everyone to return from Elysium. Téa had been telling the two Guardians about her conversation late last night between her and Mai. Neither woman had spoken since Téa had finished her story; both sat quietly sipping their tea.

Sephora frowned, putting her tea down, adding a little more sugar and stirring it in. "What are you planning to do?"

Téa sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know... I guess I'll talk to Nick when he gets back. After that I don't know..."

Jupiter rolled her eyes. "I think you've all been idiots."

"Jupiter!" Sephora scolded.

Téa laughed, shaking her head. "It's ok, she's right... I've been an idiot."

"Hey, Nick has to share some of this as well; he's been a complete idiot falling for Mai's charms. Seriously men, show them a nice pair of breasts and a pretty smile and they'll do whatever you want!" Jupiter exclaimed angrily.

Sephora's mouth gaped open for a moment, unable to utter a retort back at her fellow Guardian. Deciding to drop the conversation, she shook her head watching Hathor as she stared out the window. "Hathor, sweetie, do you want a cup of tea or some water or something?"

Hathor looked over at her aunt and shook her head. Since Rebecca had been banished Hathor had been as quiet as ever, but her disposition towards the people in the house had improved considerably growing more polite and respectful. Hathor smiled at Sephora before returning her gaze to the exterior of the house. Dark clouds had given the impression of a cold winter's night even though it was only mid-morning.

Hathor sat watching the weather for another few minutes as the women talked until she saw the sparks of a warp tunnel appear a short distance from the house. Moments later a tunnel opened and Hathor turned to her aunts. "Aunty Sephora, they're back."

The three rose from their seats as Sephora called up to Ryou and Bakura who were in their rooms. Meanwhile Téa and Jupiter ran outside to greet their friends and family.

Emerging from the warp tunnel first Selene, Horus, Mars, Fiona, Pluto and Serenity greeted the women grimly. Serenity walked over to Téa and put her arms around her. Téa blinked, looking confused. "What's going on?"

"Téa... You need to be strong, promise me you'll be strong?" Serenity pleaded as new tears began welling in the corners of her eyes.

Téa's look turned from confused to bewildered, looking between the five Guardians and the red-head. "What's going... on...?"

Téa's question was stopped in its tracks as a second group consisting of Mai, Joey, Kaiba and Mercury emerged from the warp tunnel. She noticed Kaiba and Mercury each carrying a body in their arms. The one Mercury was holding Téa recognised as the body of Apollo, a member of the Millennium Guardians they had been searching for. His body was covered in blood, the source; a large dagger that stuck out of his stomach was the obvious cause. Moving to inspect the other body Téa stopped cold, it was Nick, her Nick, the man she loved. Kaiba cradled the body in his arms, looking both angry and ashamed. Téa could just see the broken shaft of a bloodstained arrow sticking out of his chest. Téa could hear the gasps and cries of shock at the scene that greeted the people emerging from the house but she no longer cared.

Her hands reached out for Nick but she couldn't bring herself to touch him. Slowly and silently she sunk to her knees as tears ran down her cheeks.

Joey ran around the group to kneel down beside her. "Téa, it's ok, I'm here, you'll be..." He began trying to wrap his arms around her, only to be violently rebuffed.

"Get away." She spat, shoving him away.

Joey gathered himself quickly. "It's ok Téa, you'll—hey!" He shouted, being shoved away a second time.

"I said, get the fuck away from me! Ok, Joey, you think this is ok, what about this is fucking ok!" Téa screamed, her tears being replaced with an unbridled anger as she pulled herself to her feet. "Where's Yugi, where the fuck is he! I want him to stand in front of me and explain why my husband is dead!"

Everyone looked away as the warp tunnel closed behind them. Selene silently urged Mercury and Kaiba to take the bodies to the infirmary while the rest of the group were ushered into the house. Téa gave everyone in sight death glares if they even glanced in her direction.

Once inside, everyone except Téa sat down. She looked between the people who had been on Elysium angrily. "Well! Someone speak!"

"Téa... please..." Mai urged feebly but Téa shook her off.

"No, Mai! Why is Nick dead! Why did he have to die! I need to know!" Téa pleaded.

Selene stepped forward, looking worriedly towards her brother who simply sat staring into space, the life seemingly drained out of him. "Your fiancé died protecting Yugi, Artemis launched an arrow at Yugi and Nick got in its way."

Téa bit her lip. "I see..."

"There's worse..." Joey added hoarsely. The people who hadn't gone to Elysium looked at him. "After Nick... After Nick died and Apollo committed suicide, Yugi..." Joey shook his head, sliding down the wall to the floor unable to finish.

"Yugi made a deal with Artemis, he agreed to go with them if they stopped hurting us." Kaiba finished as he entered the room. He looked on grimly, meeting the surprised stares of his friends.

"You can't be serious!" Ryou exclaimed in shock.

"Of course I'm serious." Kaiba snapped angrily.

Bakura stepped in front of Ryou, looking Kaiba in the eyes. "Don't you dare speak to my host in that tone!"

Kaiba laughed. "I'll speak to him however I like or would you prefer to step outside and see if you can stop me!"

Joey got off the floor and tried to step between them. "Come on guys, we need to keep it together. Yugi's gone and Nick's dead, we can't fall apart now!"

Kaiba shoved him away. "What do you think you're doing, mutt? Who died and made you leader of this little coalition of the foolish, actually I know!"

Joey scowled, punching Kaiba in the face and making him fall into the corridor.

"Big brother!" Mokuba exclaimed as he and Kisara ran to help him.

Kaiba shook them off, pulling himself to his feet. "You idiotic mongrel, how dare you strike your superior!"

"Superior what? Jerk?"

"Stop it..." A voice protested quietly.

"I am your superior in every way, mutt; I am the next evolution of human looking on as Homo Habilis discovers his opposable thumbs."

"You arrogant asshole!" Joey yelled, being restrained by Mars and Pluto. Kaiba smirked, punching Joey in the face, causing the three to fall back to the floor.

"Stop it!" Téa shouted. Everyone in the room froze the instant they heard her. "Yugi's gone and Nick's dead and we suddenly start acting stupid! Are we really that useless without them?" Téa yelled angrily as Pluto, Joey and Mars disentangled themselves from each other.

"Téa, stay out..." Joey began.

"Shut up, Joey! I've had enough of both of you! I don't care what started this fight, it's over. This is the most important moment of this whole struggle and I'm not going to let us lose! Not now!"

It was then that Pluto suddenly stepped in between the feuding people, mustering up the angriest look on his face. His Guardian brethren backed away, fearing the worst for the humans as the fight took its toll on their elder.

"I must side with Téa on this matter," Pluto said. He raised a hand to silence Joey who almost spoke. "You two fighting isn't getting us anywhere. What I see before me are two children bickering over immature things, not potential leaders of my home world."

Both Kaiba and Joey turned their gazes to stare upon the disgusted looks on the Guardians' faces. Even Horus and Selene hung their heads in shame at them.

Pluto heavily sighed. "Show me; show us all that you are fully capable to become strong leaders that will lead us down the right path." He frowned once laying his eyes on Horus, completely understanding his uncle's complete silence. "As for our own loss…" Hastily turning on his heel, he left the room without saying another word.

At once Kaiba stepped around Joey and approached Téa. "What exactly do you have in mind?"

* * *

On Animus, Yugi was led through the corridors of the Millennium Guardian's base towards the dungeons flanked by Artemis and Erebus. Shoving Yugi into a cell, Artemis smirked. "If you'd be so kind to hand over Set and Ra?" She asked, holding out her hand.

Yugi smiled. "Sorry, I left them in my jacket."

Artemis laughed. "Clever. Very clever, Yugi."

The door was closed and locked as he walked towards it. "What happens now?"

Artemis stopped. "You'll stay here and wait while we must prepare."

Yugi raised a curious eyebrow. "Prepare, prepare for what?"

Artemis walked back to the door, looking through the flap, a vicious smirk on her lips. "The revival of Apophis. You surrendered yourself to us so now we will spread darkness across the universe with Apophis as our leader. Congratulations Yugi, you have doomed all of humanity to death!"

Yugi's eyes widened, running up to the door and slamming his fists against it. "You promised! You said you'd leave my friends alone!"

Artemis laughed again, kissing Yugi's lips, her tongue running over them seductively. "I will keep my promise, we'll need witnesses to the destruction of Earth and your friends fit that role perfectly."

She finally walked away, leaving Yugi standing at the door to his cell, blushing hard. He cleared his throat, looking downwards. "Thermal expansion."

As Erebus and Artemis walked down the corridor towards the stairs, Erebus glanced at his sister. "Why must you play with him like that?"

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Why must you play with the human girl the way you did. It's fun."

"The human girl is the perfect vessel to produce the next generation of Guardians."

Artemis scoffed as they ascended the stairs. "Oh right, and the fact she is quite beautiful and sexually attractive has nothing to do with your lust for her?"

Erebus scowled, following behind her. "Jealous that you missed your opportunity?"

In an instant Erebus had Artemis's dagger at his throat, it was a single piece of metal similar to the one Apollo had used to commit suicide with. Her cold eyes stared straight through him. "You and I were never going to be together that way, Erebus. You were a pawn, a means to an end for me. Whatever thoughts you may have had towards our relationship are your own. Do not forget that or mistake your feelings for any I've had. Whatever games I may play with Yugi are my own business and are no concern of yours."

Artemis withdrew the blade from Erebus's neck, tucking it in the belt of her robes, and resumed their journey up the stairs. Erebus rubbed his neck, following his sister back up to the main level of their base. Entering the meeting hall, Nidoki and Foresti were checking the restraints on the table that sat before the petrified statue of the original Guardian of Darkness and the instigator of the Final Battle, Apophis.

Artemis smiled, approaching Apophis's statue. She knew his spirit could never reunite with his body since it had been destroyed by Horus which is why she had sent Orpheus and Lucifer out to Earth to bring her a suitable body. Which judging by the smell had arrived. Artemis wrinkled her nose as her brothers dragged the dead and rotting body of Tristan Taylor into the hall, throwing him to the ground in front of her. They both glared at her for forcing the indignity of having to dig him up onto their shoulders.

Covering her nose and mouth, Artemis glanced over to Erebus. "I have a mission for you, a simple one."

Erebus frowned. "Yes, Artemis?"

"Seek out the strongest scented candles on earth and bring them back otherwise we're going to be stunk out of our own castle by a dead human carcass!" She ordered, fleeing the room with Lucifer, Forseti, Orpheus and Nidoki.

Erebus sighed, looking down at the rotting body of Tristan Taylor. "I was told taking over the world was supposed to be glamorous..."

* * *

"How much longer do we have to wait?" Noah asked his Guardian escort as they hid in the shadows of a narrow corridor.

Kenji nearly decided to discard the handheld device containing Noah's spirit, but he was given a task to do and he needed the boy's help. With the corner of his eye, he could make out two people guarding the door to their destination, the computer archives. He hadn't expected Uranus to have given security duty to Athena and Vulcan, two former members of the Final Five. While they excelled in attack and defense combinations, making a good team together, it was a rather unusual decision by Uranus to place them there.

Examining his position, Kenji had to bide his time to make a move. Sneaking passed humans was easy, except Guardians were a different matter with their heightened senses. He knew at any moment Athena and Vulcan would separate to begin patrolling their vicinity which was his chance to enter the room.

As luck would have it, the two Guardians lifted their weapons and walked away in different directions. Kenji quickly slammed his back against a nearby pillar as Vulcan made his way down the corridor. When Vulcan disappeared into another path, Kenji crept from his hiding place towards the computer archives.

He then took out a wire connected from the handheld device and inserted it into a keypad on the locked door. It was Noah's turn, utilizing the hacking program Mokuba and Kiki created to crack the password. Surprisingly it didn't take long before the sliding door opened and Kenji went in.

Taking a sigh of relief, Kenji looked around his surroundings. Several machines were lined neatly in rows with the biggest feature being a huge monitor in the middle.

Noah's spirit emerged from the device, instantly noting that the monitor was their main concern. He drifted away from Kenji, peering at the control panel in front of him.

"Guess we should be thankful Jupiter didn't install some deadly security system to prevent unwanted visitors," Kenji said.

Noah turned to face Kenji, raising an eyebrow. "Quite odd, in fact. Something this important would be bound to have tougher security but perhaps she felt confident no one could enter in the first place."

Kenji chuckled. "Hey, at least it wasn't a microwave hallway."

"That's the least I'm worried about." With supernatural beings such as the Guardians, Noah knew not to underestimate them when it came to traps.

In Kenji's thoughts, he was already aware his life was at risk, but he wouldn't tell Noah that. The secrets the royal family had been hiding for centuries had to help in some way, and it didn't matter to him whether he was about to die for the cause. The easy part was over, now came the hard part.

* * *

Téa stared into the eyes of Seto Kaiba, frowning. "I propose we get the people we love back, starting with my fiancé."


End file.
